Question 2, the $34.97 million bond issue marketed as a way to improve the state’s economy, was passing by a slim margin early Wednesday morning, but not in some counties that could benefit from the money.

For Hancock County, the bond includes $5.5 million for biomedical research at places like Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor and MDI Biological Laboratory in Salsbury Cove. Although Hancock County was voting down the bond, Bar Harbor residents supported it.

The bond also had $400,000 to renovate buildings about to be vacated by the U.S. Navy at Schoodic Point. The state money would be matched with $4 million from the federal government.

In Gouldsboro and Winter Harbor, the nearest precincts to Schoodic Point, Question 2 was defeated.

In Piscataquis County, voters, too, turned down Question 2. In Dover-Foxcroft, where the Center Theater would receive $500,000 for renovations, the measure failed.

Voters in Greenville, however, where the Moosehead Marine Museum would receive $30,000 to refurbish its flagship, The Katahdin, approved the question.

With 86 percent of the precincts reporting statewide, Question 2 was passing 51.3 percent to 48.7 percent early Wednesday morning.

John Diamond of the Maine Economic Growth Coalition and a promoter of the bond said Tuesday night he was surprised that Hancock and Piscataquis county voters were turning down Question 2.

“That’s interesting since some of the projects in Question 2 would benefit those areas,” Diamond said. “These were put in to help their economic development.”

Other counties voting against the bond were Lincoln, Washington, Knox, Waldo and Somerset.

Nine counties voted for it.

The lengthy bond issue included 11 funding requests that ranged from giving the Finance Authority of Maine $8 million to issue business loans to providing $1 million for a Franco-American Heritage Center in St. Mary’s Church in Lewiston.

In Augusta, Steven Levesque, commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development, said Tuesday night the close vote was sending the Legislature a message that the bond issue contained too many funding requests.

Voters also might have been telling state government that it shouldn’t borrow money when it has a more than $180 million budget shortfall, he said.

“That was the big concern,” said Levesque, who mentioned that he heard comments that Question 2 was filled with “pork barrel” projects. “I thought it would be close because there’s a lot of stuff in it.”

Levesque personally sought the inclusion of $18.4 million to cover four separate projects.

Besides FAME’s money, to be used to recapitalize the business loan program, Levesque wanted $6 million to fund a Maine Rural Development Authority, which would purchase or lease vacant buildings, refurbish them and then market the sites to potential businesses looking to move in immediately.

He said the buildings vacated by Dexter Shoe in Dexter might be the first to be purchased.

If Question 2 is defeated, Levesque said, “that’s it.”

“There isn’t any money, not in the legislative process, not when there’s a $180 million hole,” he said.

In the last few months, Question 2 has been called many things, such as “the wastebasket bond,” because it included too much, and “the economic improvement bond,” because it had money for biomedical research, infrastructure development and business loans.

On Tuesday, voters had one word for it – confusing. But, according to some voters at a polling place in Bangor, the Legislature may have packaged the bond this way because it may have figured voters would support it even if they didn’t like everything in it.

One woman, who asked not to be identified, said she saw the words “stimulate job growth,” and that was all it took to get her OK.

“I thought it had merit,” she said.

For Don Knowles, the economic development components of the bond were enough to secure his vote.

“We’re just stagnant,” Knowles said. “If there’s a chance that government can work and move forward, I’ll take that chance.”

Tom Hammond, who took his granddaughters Jennifer and Rebecca Graban to the polls, said spending $540,000 on anti-terrorism was needed.

“The terrorism thing got to me, and we need to do something about the economy,” Hammond said. “It’s terrible.”

But Chris McGrath said he didn’t think the state should be borrowing money that it may not be able to pay back without raising taxes.

“My opinion is if we don’t have the money to spend, where are we going to get it?” McGrath said. “We’re already taxed to death.”

But Mainers usually pass bonds, McGrath said, “and everyone’s afraid of terrorism.”