Bangor residents urged to vote early

BANGOR – Residents who want to get their votes in early – and avoid lines at the polls – have two more days to do so, City Clerk Patti Dubois said Friday. The Bangor Civic Center will be open from 8 a.m. to noon today, and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday for voters who want to cast absentee ballots in the Nov. 7 state and city elections.

Among the highlights of the Nov. 7 elections is a five-way race for governor, a decision on the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, or TABOR, citizen-initiated referendum, and City Council and school committee contests.

As part of the city’s effort to streamline elections, the number of voting places has been halved, dropping from eight to four, namely:

. Bangor Civic Center on Dutton Street.

. Bangor Community Center on Davis Road.

. Bangor High School on Broadway.

. William S. Cohen Middle School on Garland Street.

Because school will be in session on Election Day, Dubois encouraged residents who vote at Cohen School to try to do so outside of school hours.

Out of concern that the consolidation might prove a hardship for voters without transportation, Dubois said, the city is providing free rides to the polls on BAT Community Connector buses. “All you have to do is say that you are going to vote,” Dubois said.

In another election change, special equipment is being made available to voters with disabilities, including blindness. Special equipment required by the federal government aims to provide voters with greater privacy and independence.

In yet another change, Dubois said, election results will be posted on the city’s Web site, www.bangormaine.gov, as soon as they are called in from the four polling places.

The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 7. To request an absentee ballot or for more information about city voting procedures, call City Hall at 992-4200.