AUGUSTA – Voter turnout in last month’s election was “considerably better than average,” topping 40 percent, according to Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap. Dunlap announced Thursday that 408,819 ballots were cast in the Nov. 8 referendum election that featured seven ballot questions. The results… Read More
SKOWHEGAN – More than 14,000 ballots will be recounted next Tuesday at the Skowhegan Community Center under the watchful eye of the Somerset County commissioners, the Maine State Police, the Somerset County district attorney and a group of interested observers. When a Nov. 8 referendum… Read More
This is an UNPUBLISHED correction to the Lincoln County voting results. The Westport vote totals in this election tab are incorrect. Westport Island reported: (1) Y142 N190 (2) Y209 N122 (3) Y173 N159 (4) Y172 N158 (5) Y212 N120 (6) Y142 N190 (7) Y238 N91… Read More
AUGUSTA – Still stinging from their lopsided defeat at the polls, Christian fundamentalist groups have all but abandoned efforts to repeal the state’s new gay rights law to instead focus on pushing a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. “Now that the gay rights movement… Read More
AUGUSTA – Higher education officials were left scrambling for answers after unofficial election returns Wednesday indicated that funding for various construction and renovation projects at colleges across the state failed to pass muster with the voters. According to unofficial results of Tuesday’s elections as tabulated… Read More
Five years after defeating a similar referendum question, Maine voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly favored a proposal to give piers a chance. Question 7, which asked voters whether the state constitution should be amended so working waterfront properties can be made more affordable to keep, seemed… Read More
PORTLAND – Voters defeated an effort to repeal the state’s new gay rights law Tuesday with supporters of the law declaring victory shortly after 11 p.m. to a cheering crowd of more than 500 people at the Holiday Inn By the Bay. “I think Maine… Read More
AUGUSTA – The merits of borrowing money to make money were put to an $83 million test Tuesday as Maine voters went to the polls to determine the fate of five bond issues crafted to attract an additional $240 million of investment from federal and private matching funds. Read More
AUGUSTA – State election officials predict a strong turnout when Mainers go to the polls today for an off-year election that features a referendum on whether to repeal or keep on the books the state’s law to bar discrimination against gays. Both sides say a… Read More
AUGUSTA – A little more than $700,000 had been raised by Oct. 27 to promote four of the five bond questions and a constitutional amendment to preserve working waterfronts, according to campaign finance reports filed with the state Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices. Read More
For all the polling, fundraising, debating and advertising that have defined the Question 1 campaign thus far, come Nov. 8 the fate of the state’s new gay rights law will rest solely with people like Alberna Bunker and James Martin. The two Maine voters –… Read More
“Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to permit the Legislature to authorize waterfront land used for commercial fishing activities to be assessed based on the land’s current use in a manner similar to treatment now available for farms, open space and forestland?” Rapidly… Read More
“Do you favor a $9,000,000 bond issue to make building renovations at campuses of the University of Maine System, improve and expand the facilities of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Southern Maine and make building renovations at campuses of the Maine Community College System?”… Read More
“Do you favor a $12,000,000 bond issue to purchase land and conservation easements statewide from willing sellers for conservation, water access, wildlife and fish habitat, outdoor recreation, including hunting and fishing, farmland preservation and working waterfront preservation to be matched by at least $7,000,000 in private and public… Read More
The need to upgrade campus facilities across the state’s community college and university systems is the driving force behind a $9 million bond issue before voters in the November election. Higher education officials say passage of Question 6 not only will provide sorely needed funds… Read More
“Do you favor an $8,900,000 bond issue for purposes related to agriculture and the environment in anticipation of approximately $31,000,000 in federal funds to be used for sustainable water sources and irrigation system development, loans from a wastewater state revolving fund, grants from a small community grants program,… Read More
“Do you favor a $20,000,000 bond issue to stimulate economic growth and job creation through investments in the Maine economy in anticipation of approximately $44,000,000 in federal and private funds for medical research and development …?” The above is part of an overlong question for… Read More
ORONO – As the campaign over whether to repeal the state’s new gay rights law enters its final days, the fight intensified Wednesday with a flurry of debates, and the release of new television advertisements and financial reports. “This law is not needed, it’s not… Read More
Most Mainers don’t believe the state’s new gay rights law will lead to same-sex marriage, as the law’s opponents contend, according to a poll released Tuesday. The poll, conducted by Strategic Marketing Services of Portland, found that 62 percent of those surveyed believe the new… Read More
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland released a statement this week saying that cars in Catholic church parking lots throughout the state were improperly leafleted with “Vote Yes on referendum Question 1” material last weekend. The leaflets, the statement said, do not reflect the official… Read More
“Do you want to reject the new law that would protect people from discrimination in employment, housing, education, public accommodations and credit based on their sexual orientation?” With the rest of New England and nearly half the country’s population covered by similar laws, the doomsday… Read More
“Do you favor a $33,100,000 bond issue for improvements to highways and bridges; airports; public transit improvements; state-owned ferry vessels and ferry and port facilities including port and harbor structures; and statewide bicycle trail and pedestrian improvements that makes the State eligible for over $158,000,000 in matching funds?”… Read More
Funding for prospective projects of the Land for Maine’s Future program is being left in the hands of voters in the Nov. 8 election. Although there still is some money available for projects that already have been approved, the program is relying on voters to… Read More
AUGUSTA – Clean water experts concede that with $270 million worth of wastewater treatment improvements facing Maine over the next five years, the $8.9 million environmental bond on the Nov. 8 ballot falls far short of reaching the state’s immediate needs. “This bond is better… Read More
AUGUSTA – When Maine’s chief business advocate recently assessed the state’s deteriorating highways, he saw more at stake than treacherous potholes and washed-away shoulders. “We must make a continuous investment in highways and bridges that our economy requires and that our future depends on,” said… Read More
BANGOR – Demonstrating a divide among religious leaders, a Christian think tank on Thursday released a paper opposing a Nov. 8 ballot question that seeks repeal of the state’s new gay rights law. “It’s about following the example of Jesus to reach out to people… Read More
Twenty million dollars is a significant amount of money, but there are other figures voters should consider when they determine whether Question 4 should be approved in the Nov. 8 statewide elections, according to supporters of the referendum question. One of those figures is $44… Read More
BANGOR – Gay rights supporters on Tuesday launched the first volley in an advertising war that will last through the Nov. 8 election, at which voters will consider repealing a new state law that extends the state’s anti-discrimination laws to gays and lesbians. “Discrimination happens… Read More
BANGOR – Voters would uphold the state’s gay rights law if the Nov. 8 election were held today, according to a new poll released Monday. The Survey USA poll, conducted for WCSH 6 Portland, WLBZ 2 Bangor, and the Bangor Daily News, found that 56… Read More
BANGOR – Episcopalians on Friday overwhelmingly endorsed equal rights for gays and lesbians at the their annual convention held at the Bangor Civic Center, but stopped short of urging residents to vote no on Question 1 on Nov. 8. The original language of the resolution,… Read More
BANGOR – As voters prepare to consider whether to repeal Maine’s gay rights law next month, a report released Thursday found that discrimination against homosexuals is a “serious problem” in the state. The report, from the Portland-based nonprofit Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence,… Read More
On Nov. 8, Maine citizens will have the opportunity to vote to keep Maine’s anti-discrimination law on the books. One aspect of this law is that it protects people from being discriminated against at work due to their sexual orientation as opposed to their work performance. Read More
Supporters of a proposal that will be on next month’s statewide ballot hope that the result of the referendum will be different from the outcome of a similar vote five years ago. Those who hope to ease the tax burden on working waterfront properties already… Read More
Question 1 Question 1 on the Nov. 8 ballot will read: ?Do you want to reject the new law that would protect people from discrimination in employment, housing, education, public accommodations and credit based on their sexual orientation?? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More