AUGUSTA – Despite voter turnout that possibly reached a record high, and which caused several Maine towns to run out of ballots, Election Day was “remarkably smooth” with few poll problems, a spokesman for Maine’s Secretary of State’s Office said Tuesday night.
“The number of questions and concerns was certainly not unusually high,” said Doug Dunbar. “They are the type you get every election.”
Given the interest in the election, the turnout and other factors, “this election was remarkably smooth,” said Dunbar, a deputy secretary of state.
A few Maine towns received authorization from the Secretary of State’s Office Tuesday to photocopy ballots after they ran out. Dunbar said photocopying is legal under Maine law, if authorized.
When it was time to print up ballots for this election, the state printed 100 percent of the voter registration figure. It is the first time Maine has printed that many. Generally, 85 percent are printed.
The state’s highest turnout in recent decades came in 1992, when 73 percent of registered voters went to the polls. In the last presidential election, 67 percent of Maine voters went to the polls.
The state traditionally has one of the highest voter turnout rates in the nation. Dunbar said it will be several days before an official tally is logged and it can be determined if Maine will lead the nation this election.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.