AUGUSTA (AP) – State election officials said turnout in the Nov. 8 election was better than 40 percent, well over the average in Maine referendum elections since 1971.

Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap released official results of last month’s elections on Thursday, saying voter participation “was considerably better than average. The people of Maine, especially local election officials, deserve credit for taking our electoral process seriously.”

Dunlap said 408,819 ballots were cast on Election Day. Based on Maine’s voting age population of a little over 1 million, turnout was 40.1 percentage, a little below to 45-50 percent Dunlap had predicted.

Since 1971, turnout for referendum elections in Maine has averaged just over 34 percent, the secretary said.

The official results yielded no surprises.

At the top of the ballot, Maine voters refused to repeal the state’s gay rights law rejecting a people’s veto proposal by a tally of 223,274 to 181,926. The law will become effective on Dec. 28.

The official results also confirmed voters’ approval of a $33.1 million transportation bond issue, 270,486 to 130,352; an $8.9 million bond for clean water improvements, 228,970 to 167,424; a $20 million bond issue for research and development, 232,563 to 165,607; and a $12 million bond for land conservation, 259,475 to 140,469.

Voters rejected a $9 million bond issue for state university and community college improvements by a vote of 195,939 to 193,077.

Voters approved the constitutional amendment to allow waterfront land to be assessed based on current 276,116 to 109,508, according to Dunlap’s official tally.

The results have been made official by the signing of proclamations by Gov. John Baldacci this week.

The law to bar discrimination on the basis of sexual will take effect on Dec. 28, which is 30 days from Monday’s signing of the proclamation. The other successful proposals take effect the same day.

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On the Net:

Secretary of State, election results: www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/prior1st.htm