AUGUSTA (AP) – District voters will be asked to fill at least two vacant seats in the Maine House of Representatives this November, offering a chance for a potential alteration in the chamber’s partisan makeup.

On Monday, Gov. John Baldacci signed a proclamation calling for a special election to fill a legislative vacancy in the Greenville area. The election in House District 27 follows the death earlier this month of Rep. Earl Richardson, a Republican.

The proclamation calls for party committees to select and certify their nominees by the close of business on Aug. 31. The special election will be held Nov. 6, the day already set aside for statewide voting on ballot questions.

District 27 includes the towns of Abbot, Beaver Cove, Bowerbank, Brownville, Cambridge, Greenville, Guilford, Monson, Parkman, Sebec, Shirley, Willimantic and Plantation of Kingsbury, plus the unorganized territories of Blanchard Township, Northeast Piscataquis and Northwest Piscataquis.

Another special election will be held on Nov. 6 to select a successor for another Republican representative, Randy Hotham of Dixfield, who has resigned from House District 93. District 93 includes the communities of Canton, Carthage, Dixfield, Mexico and Peru.

Announcing his resignation in July, Hotham cited job demands outside the Legislature.

The loss of two Republican House members leaves the Democrats with an 89-58 edge over the GOP in that chamber, where two independents also serve.

The fall 2007 statewide ballot will include an initiated question on whether an Indian tribe can run a harness racing track with slot machines and high-stakes beano games in Washington County. In addition, voters will decide whether to lengthen legislative term limits, from four two-year terms to six.

Voters will also face three bond questions.

The first bond issue question seeks $55 million for research and economic development.

The second bond question seeks $43.5 million for improvements and additions at all campuses of the Maine Community College System, Maine Maritime Academy and the University of Maine System. Funds would also replenish the state’s school renovation loan fund.

The last bond issue seeks $35.5 million in borrowing to replenish Land for Maine’s Future program that sets aside open space for public use. Portions of the bond money would be directed to state parks and historic sites, and for riverfront projects.

AP-ES-08-20-07 1420EDT