WISCASSET (AP) – Residents of Wiscasset rejected a moratorium on development of big box stores on Tuesday while the outcome of a similar proposal for a permanent size cap in Waldoboro remained uncertain.

Tuesday’s votes were the latest electoral tests of a grass-roots effort that started last year in opposition to a planned Wal-Mart Supercenter in Damariscotta.

Wiscasset voters were faced with a proposed six-month moratorium on new retail businesses that exceed 40,000 square feet. The measure was rejected 498 to 426 in unofficial tallies, town officials said Tuesday night.

On the ballot in Waldoboro was a proposal to set a 45,000-square-foot cap on the size of new retail stores. The turnout there was so heavy that town clerks planned to continue counting ballots into the wee hours.

In Waldoboro, supporters of the question said the town needs protection from giant retailers that would seize a large share of local sales and threaten the survival of small businesses unable to compete. Opponents said closing the door to big box stores would put a damper on needed growth and jobs.

The votes were an outgrowth of a vote by Damariscotta residents in March to set a 35,000-square-foot size cap. Activists pushed for the zoning change in response to a plan by Wal-Mart to develop a 186,000-square-foot store within two miles of the downtown.

Since then, a handful of other towns in Lincoln County have approved similar size caps or moratoriums.