Due to its size, the district's congressman is usually reckoned as a statewide figure; its footprint includes portions of all three television markets anchored in the state.

The boundaries of the district are open for reconsideration in light of population shifts revealed by the decennial US census.

Until 2011, Maine's constitution provided for the state to reapportion the congressional districts based on census data every ten years beginning in 1983, meaning that Maine redrew their districts after most states, who typically redraw them in time for the congressional election taking place immediately after the release of census data.

However, a federal lawsuit filed in March 2011 led to a requirement that Maine speed up its redistricting process.

[4] For the 118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2020 census), the district contains all or portions of the following counties and municipalities:[5] In US presidential elections, most states give all the state's electoral votes to the candidate that wins the statewide popular vote.