REGION — Nov. 2 saw higher than normal turnout locally for an off-year election featuring referendum questions only.

“The turnout has been unbelievable,” Ballot Clerk Jim Manter said mid-afternoon Nov. 2 in Livermore. “More than 200 absentees, about 30% of registered voters.”

“It’s been steady all day,” Town Clerk Renda Guild noted. “It’s been a really productive day. I love the turnout.”

Of the town’s 1,902 registered voters who had voted at the time, 209 of the 577 were by absentee, she added.

When the polls closed, 838 ballots had been cast.

Voters in Livermore Falls cast 744 ballots of which 178 were absentee, Town Clerk Amy Byron said Monday, Nov. 8. That was larger than normal number for a non-presidential or no state-office year , she said.

“It was a huge turnout for us,” Byron said. “We had to reprint the town ballots two times.”

Jay also had more voters for a referendum election with 1,433 ballots cast, Deputy Town Clerk Rayleen York said Monday. There were 329 absentee ballots returned, she noted.

“In 2019 there were 359 ballots cast and 1,033 in 2017,” York said. When she first saw the numbers for 2019 she thought “that can’t be right” but they were.

Each town saw the highest number of ballots cast for Question 1, the citizen’s initiative seeking to ban the NECEC transmission line project.

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