FARMINGTON – University of Maine at Farmington College Democrats did not ask whom students supported when offering rides to the polls last week, Brandon Maheu said.

Maheu, political affairs director for the group, said Tuesday that Democratic legislative candidate Lance Harvell’s statement that the group held a raffle was also inaccurate.

“I have no idea where that came from,” he said.

Maheu did say that the group had Democratic signs on the side of its rented van, but the signs were removed when it neared the polls so as not to violate laws that prohibit campaigning within 250 feet of a polling place.

He also said the group stopped knocking on dormitory doors to offer rides to the polls when a representative from the university’s student life office told members to stop. Solicitation of any sort is strictly prohibited in dormitories, although Maheu said it was unclear whether the group’s activities could be characterized as such.

Representatives for the group were under strict instructions to refrain from any politicking in the dorms and were instructed not to wear or carry any Election Day paraphernalia when in the dorms, Maheu said.

The Democrats could lose their student senate funding if members violated the solicitation policy, he said.

Maheu said it was odd for Harvell to bring up the student vote as an issue when he rallied so many students around his campaign. Harvell is currently taking classes at the university and is well known on campus.

“Harvell got more votes in Farmington than Bush, most of those came from college students,” Maheu said. “If it weren’t for those college votes, the race would not have been so close.”

Maheu also questioned Harvell’s reasons for asking for a recount, saying the issues Harvell brought up had nothing to do with a recount.

“If you’re going to ask for a recount, ask for a recount,” he said. “These issues are totally irrelevant to a recount.”