Crime & JusticeDevelopingUpdated 3 hr ago

Maine closes 2025 case of absentee ballot envelopes sent to Maryland nonprofit

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, all right-leaning.

3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Image via RedStateHow images are chosen Report this image

Three right-leaning outlets, RedState, PJ Media and Townhall, report that a 2025 Maine case involving hundreds of blank absentee ballot envelopes was closed without answers, according to records they cite. The outlets say a detective recovered 498 blank absentee envelopes that had been sent to a nonprofit in Maryland, and that UPS told the Maine Attorney General's office it would need a subpoena before releasing details. The outlets say the Attorney General's office found there was not enough information to issue one. Townhall reports Secretary of State Shenna Bellows blamed UPS, and says she had promised an investigation. The coverage comes from one side only, and the outlets describe the NGO as Soros-funded or Soros-tied; the sources for that description are not stated in the supplied text.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

New to Mantle? It shows who is covering each story across the political spectrum, and highlights loaded words. How to read a storyHide the guide

The coverage spectrum counts the outlets covering a story at each of five points. A short or missing segment means that part of the spectrum is mostly quiet.

Governor Loaded verb“slams”It adds drama to what was said. The governor criticized the lawmakers; “slams” makes it sound like a fight.More neutral: criticizes lawmakers over budget delay

Highlights mark words that carry a judgement. Tap one to see why, and what a neutral writer would say. Here it is “criticizes”.

The 5-point spectrum

Far Left
Voices that strongly advocate for progressive policies and systemic change.
Left
Mainstream liberal perspectives focusing on social equality and regulation.
Center
Sources that prioritize neutral reporting and balanced viewpoints.
Right
Mainstream conservative perspectives focusing on market freedom and tradition.
Far Right
Voices that strongly advocate for conservative values and limited government.

How we measure bias

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

A detective reportedly recovered 498 blank absentee ballot envelopes that had been sent to a nonprofit in Maryland.
One side only: the rightReported byFar Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
Far Right
PJ Media, Townhall
According to the outlets, Maine closed the case over the envelopes without answers, citing records.
One side only: the rightReported byFar Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
Far Right
PJ Media, Townhall
UPS reportedly told the Maine Attorney General's office it would need a subpoena before releasing details about the envelopes.
One outletPJ Media· Far Right
The Maine Attorney General's office reportedly determined there was not enough information to issue a subpoena.
One outletPJ Media· Far Right
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows reportedly blamed UPS for the Newburgh ballot problem and said the state no longer uses UPS for ballot delivery.
One outletTownhall· Far Right
The 2025 referendum in Maine included a question on absentee voting changes that failed, with 64 percent opposed, according to RedState.
One outletRedState· Far Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three supplied outlets, all on the right, report that a 2025 Maine absentee envelope case was closed without answers. They differ mainly in emphasis: the headlines stress the case's closure or mystery and the Soros link, while the articles lean on criticism of state officials. No other side is present in this sample.

the left
No coverage yet
No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
the center
No coverage yet
No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
the right
3 outlets
Headlines frame the case as an unresolved mystery or a closed investigation without answers, linking the envelopes to a Soros-tied group; PJ Media and Townhall stress the closure, while RedState emphasizes mystery.
A Box of Maine Absentee Ballot Return Envelopes Ended Up at a Maryland House Tied to Soros Nonprofit
TownhallFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

Left
Has not covered this story.
Center
Has not covered this story.
Right6
Mystery DeepensSoros-Funded NGOseems reluctantSoros family money machine

In the outlets’ own words

Sensational language
Mystery DeepensMore neutral: Case over 2025 Maine absentee ballot envelopes remains unexplained
The phrase manufactures drama about a case whose facts are being reported, not settled as a mystery.
'Mystery Deepens' in 2025 Case of Maine Absentee Ballot Envelopes Sent to 'Soros-Funded NGO' in MD
Used byRedState (Far Right)
Partisan shorthand
Soros-Funded NGOMore neutral: nonprofit in Maryland
The label names the nonprofit by its funder in a way that signals a political conclusion, and no source for the funding claim is given in the text.
'Mystery Deepens' in 2025 Case of Maine Absentee Ballot Envelopes Sent to 'Soros-Funded NGO' in MD
Used byRedState (Far Right)
Loaded verb
seems reluctantMore neutral: did not pursue the case further
The phrase attributes a motive to state officials without a stated source.
The state of Maine seems reluctant to look further into a 2025 case in which hundreds of absentee ballot envelopes…
Used byPJ Media (Far Right)
Sensational language
Soros family money machineMore neutral: a group linked to George Soros
The phrase is a loaded image of a political funder rather than a neutral description of the organization.
…envelopes ended up in a different state and at a location with ties to the Soros family money machine.
Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

Show 2 more phrasesShow fewer

Loaded verb
Frey decided he would rather not knowMore neutral: did not issue a subpoena
The phrase attributes a motive to the Attorney General that the excerpt does not establish.
…subpoena before it would release any details about the envelopes, and Frey decided he would rather not know.
Used byPJ Media (Far Right)
Sensational language
election blundersMore neutral: election problems
The phrase characterizes the handling of ballots as mistakes without establishing the facts of each incident.
Following a series of election blunders in 2025, we learned that a woman in Newburgh, Maine found 250 blank election…
Used byTownhall (Far Right)

Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

Vague attribution
Quoted
bad actorMore neutral: the person responsible
The phrase refers to an unidentified person whose existence is not established in the excerpt.
…Secretary of State Shenna Bellows promised to investigate both incidents until a "bad actor" was identified.
Quoted byTownhall (Far Right)
These are Shenna Bellows’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

0 outlets

No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

3 outlets

Leads with

case closed without answers
envelopes sent to Soros-linked Maryland group
state officials' reluctance to investigate

Leaves out

UPS's account of why it required a subpoena
any response from the Attorney General's office beyond the supplied excerpts

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

TownhallFar Right
A Box of Maine Absentee Ballot Return Envelopes Ended Up at a Maryland House Tied to Soros Nonprofit
Following a series of election blunders in 2025, we learned that a woman in Newburgh, Maine found 250 blank election ballots on her porch in an Amazon box and a D.C. area nonprofit reported it received a box of Maine absentee ballot affidavit envelopes. …
3 hr agoRead at Townhall (opens in a new tab)
PJ MediaFar Right
Maine Absentee Ballot Envelopes Ended Up at a Soros-Tied Organization in Maryland
The state of Maine Loaded verb“seems reluctant”The phrase attributes a motive to state officials without a stated source.More neutral: did not pursue the case furtherDisagree with this highlight? to look further into a 2025 case in which hundreds of absentee ballot envelopes ended up in a different state and at a location with ties to the Sensational language“Soros family money machine”The phrase is a loaded image of a political funder rather than a neutral description of the organization.More neutral: a group linked to George SorosDisagree with this highlight?. …
3 hr agoRead at PJ Media (opens in a new tab)
RedStateFar Right
'Sensational language“Mystery Deepens”The phrase manufactures drama about a case whose facts are being reported, not settled as a mystery.More neutral: Case over 2025 Maine absentee ballot envelopes remains unexplainedDisagree with this highlight?' in 2025 Case of Maine Absentee Ballot Envelopes Sent to 'Partisan shorthand“Soros-Funded NGO”The label names the nonprofit by its funder in a way that signals a political conclusion, and no source for the funding claim is given in the text.More neutral: nonprofit in MarylandDisagree with this highlight?' in MD
Back in 2025, a statewide referendum election was held in Maine that focused on two questions that they labeled as "citizen initiatives."
20 hr agoRead at RedState (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

Left
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Center
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Right
First to report
RedState, Oct 26, 8:55 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order

RedStateFar RightOct 26, 8:55 PM EDT
PJ MediaFar RightOct 27, 1:45 PM EDT
TownhallFar RightOct 27, 2:00 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Maine closes 2025 case of absentee ballot envelopes sent to Maryland nonprofit

Coverage spectrum

Key points

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

In the outlets’ own words

Side by side

From the left

From the center

From the right

A Box of Maine Absentee Ballot Return Envelopes Ended Up at a Maryland House Tied to Soros Nonprofit

Maine Absentee Ballot Envelopes Ended Up at a Soros-Tied Organization in Maryland

How the coverage built up

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