Mainers will head to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots on several contested primaries and a referendum question that would reject legislation that would impact the previously-approved ranked-choice voting method.
A number of towns are taking advantage of the state-wide referendum to hold votes relating to municipal budgets, local elections and the validation of proposed school budgets.
Polling places and times can also be found below.
Budget validation in RSU 58 – Avon, Kingfield, Phillips and Strong
Residents will cast votes on the $9.39 million budget approved at last month’s budget meeting. Representing a .23 percent increase over the current fiscal year, the budget includes $123,000 added by voters into the Regular Instruction cost center. Despite the practically flat budget, assessment increases are anticipated in relation to the budget due to decreases in the district’s state subsidy. The loss of $235,000 in state funding for the budget was projected to result in a $356,000 increase in local assessments, prior to the $123,000 increase in expenditures approved at Tuesday’s meeting.
A ‘yes’ vote on Tuesday’s referendum will validate the $9.39 million budget for the next fiscal year. A ‘no’ vote will reject it, effectively restarting the process. More on the RSU 58 budget can be found here.
Jay will vote on three ordinance and one budget cost center
Jay voters will have three ordinance amendments to review, as well as a previously-rejected cost center from this year’s annual town meeting. The proposed amendments would align the town’s Shoreland Zoning ordinance with state changes, update the Sewer Use ordinance to include currently used processes and amend the Recycling and Waste Disposal ordinance to mirror current practices in regards to curbside pickup, eliminate the clear bag requirement for trash and implement other changes.
At the annual town meeting vote in April, voters rejected one of the municipal budget’s cost centers, Professional Services. That article funds a number of legal, assessing and auditing services, as well as certain outside organizations that provide assistance to the town. A new budget of $181,215 budget for Professional Services, a reduction of $20,000, has been proposed. More on the MSAD 58 budget can be found here.
Rangeley will hold its annual town meeting
Residents will elect two selectmen, decide on $4.14 million in municipal expenditures and choose whether or not to enact a marijuana moratorium their annual town meeting. Incumbent Selectman David Burgess is running uncontested for a three-year term on the board. Two residents, Stephen Philbrick and Ethna Thompson, are running for a one-year term on the Board of Selectman.
The budget listed in the town report is proposed by the selectmen at $7,589,184, with that figure including $650,000 for the county tax, $2.76 million for RSU 78 and $4.14 million in municipal expenditures, including $215,000 in donation requests. In total, the budget would represent an increase of $155,775 over the current fiscal year, or 2.1 percent.
Residents will also decide whether to approve a moratorium on retail marijuana stores, facilities and social clubs for 180 days. More information on the Rangeley town meeting can be found here.
Budget validation in RSU 78 – Rangeley, Dallas Plantation, Magalloway, Rangeley Plantation and Sandy River Plantation
Residents of school district Regional School Unit 78 approved a $4.36 million budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year on June 5. The $4,366,571.05 budget covers the costs of the Rangeley Lakes Regional School in Rangeley. A validation vote will be held on June 12 at the RSU member towns’ polls. Residents will be asked if they approve the amount passed at the budget meeting with a “yes” vote supporting the budget and a “no” vote rejecting it.
Wilton will hold its municipal elections
Tom Saviello is running uncontested for the single year left on Selectperson Ruth Cushman’s term, as she will be stepping down this year. Selectperson Jeff Adams is not running for his three-year term, with Phil Hilton running uncontested for that position.
No candidates have submitted papers for a three-year seat on the Regional School Unit 9 school board. A write-in candidate will be selected.
People’s veto relating to ranked-choice voting to be decided
A single state-wide question will appear on all Maine ballots Tuesday. It is a people’s veto, meaning it was added to the ballot via a petition process. The veto would reject a law passed last year that would delay implementation of ranked choice voting and potentially eliminate it if a deadline to amend the state’s Constitution isn’t met.
This is how the question will appear on the ballot:
Question 1: People’s Veto
Do you want to reject the parts of a new law that would delay the use of ranked-choice voting in the election of candidates for any state or federal office until 2022, and then retain the method only if the constitution is amended by December 1, 2021, to allow ranked-choice voting for candidates in state elections?
In November 2016, Mainers approved a citizen’s initiative to implement ranked-choice voting. That system, which uses multiple rounds of voting to elect candidates with a majority, rather than a plurality, was intended to impact elections for U.S. Senate, Congress, Governor, State Senator and State Representative, including primary elections to select nominees for those offices. Under this system, voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and ballots associated with that candidate are recounted, adding the ballots’ second choices to the tallies of the other candidates. This process would continue through subsequent rounds until a winning candidate is selected.
The Secretary of State Office has released a video explaining ranked-choice voting in greater detail. It can be found here. A number of ranked-choice voting informational resources can be found here.
In 2017, the Legislature amended ranked-choice voting, adding language that delayed implementation until Dec. 1, 2021 and requiring that the Maine Constitution be amended before that date to allow the method to be used in elections of the governor, state senators and state representatives. If the Constitution is not amended by that date, ranked-choice voting would be repealed.
The people’s veto targets those aspects of the legislation. A ‘yes’ vote on Tuesday’s question would approve the veto, rejecting the new legislative provisions that would delay (and potentially eliminate) ranked-choice voting. A ‘no’ vote rejects the veto, upholding the Legislature’s actions and effectively establishing the 2021 delay and deadline.
It should be noted that ranked-choice voting will be used for the June 12 primaries, regardless of the outcome of the people’s veto result.
The state-wide ballot (all towns in Franklin County vote on this)
Party Primaries for Governor
Democratic Primary: Adam Cote of Sanford. Donna Dion of Biddeford. Mark Dion of Portland. Mark Eves of North Berwick. Janet Mills of Farmington. Diane Russell of Portland. Elizabeth Sweet of Hallowell. [Note: While not appearing on the ballot, J. Martin Vachon of Mariaville is a declared write-in candidate]
Republican Primary: Kenneth Fredette of Newport. Garrett Mason of Lisbon. Mary Mayhew of China. Shawn Moody of Gorham.
Party Primaries for U.S. Senate
Democratic Primary: Zak Ringelstein of Yarmouth
Republican Primary: Eric Brakey of Auburn. Max Linn of Bar Harbor. [Note: While Linn will appear on the ballot, he was disqualified after a number of his nominating petitions were thrown out by the Secretary of State.]
Party Primaries for U.S. Congressional District 1
Democratic Primary: Chellie Pingree of North Haven.
Republican Primary: Mark Holbrook of Brunswick.
Party Primaries for U.S. Congressional District 2
Democratic Primary: Jonathan Fulford of Monroe. Jared Golden of Lewiston. Craig Olson of Islesboro. Lucas St. Clair of Hampden. [Note: While Fulford will appear on the ballot, he has withdrawn from running for the seat.]
Republican Primary: Bruce Poliquin of Oakland.
Party Primaries for State Senate District 17
Democratic Primary: Jan Collins of Wilton. Gary McGrane of Jay.
Republican Primary: Russell Black of Wilton.
State House of Representatives Districts
House District 73 – Includes the towns of Jay, Livermore Falls and part of Livermore.
Democratic Primary: Christina Riley of Jay.
Republican Primary: Robert Staples of Jay.
House District 112 – Includes the towns of Anson, Avon, Carrabassett Valley, Carthage, Kingfield, New Portland, Phillips, Starks, Weld and Sandy River Plantation, plus the unorganized territories of East Central Franklin (including Freeman, Madrid and Salem Townships), and Perkins and Washington Townships.
Democratic Primary: Cynthia Soma-Hernandez of Anson.
Republican Primary: Thomas Skolfield of Weld.
House District 113 – Includes the towns of Farmington and New Sharon.
Democratic Primary: Scott Landry of Farmington.
Republican Primary: Paul Brown of Farmington.
House District 114 – Includes the towns of Chesterville, Industry, New Vineyard, Strong, Temple and Wilton.
Democratic Primary: Cherieann Harrison of Wilton.
Republican Primary: Randall Hall of Wilton.
[Note: Maitland Lord of Cheserville has declared as a candidate for House District 114. As he is running as an independent, he is not subject to a party primary]
House District 117 – Andover, Bethel, Byron, Eustis, Gilead, Greenwood, Hanover, Lovell (part), Newry, Rangeley, Stoneham, Stow, Upton and Plantations of Coplin, Dallas, Lincoln, Magalloway and Rangeley, plus the unorganized territories of North Franklin, North Oxford, South Oxford (including Albany and Mason Townships) and West Central Franklin.
Democratic Primary: Stephanie LeBlanc of Bethel.
Republican Primary: Frances Head of Bethel.
Judge of Probate
Democratic Primary: Margot Joly of Weld.
[Note: Ronald Aseltine of Wilton has declared as a candidate for Judge of Probate. As he is running as an independent, he is not subject to a party primary]
County Treasurer
Democratic Primary: Pamela Prodan of Wilton.
Republican Primary: Quenten Clark of Farmington.
Register of Deeds
Republican Primary: Susan Black of Wilton.
District Attorney for District 3 (includes Franklin County)
Democratic Primary: Andrew Robinson of Farmington.
Republican Primary: S. Thomas Carey of Auburn. Alexander Willette of Lewiston.
County Commissioner for District 3 (includes Weld, Avon, Strong, New Vineyard, Industry and everything north of those five towns)
Republican Primary: Clyde Barker of Strong. Robert Carlton of Freeman Township.
Polling locations and times [Note: All polls close at 8 p.m.]
AVON – municipal building at 1116 Rangeley Road – opens at 8 a.m.
CARRABASSETT VALLEY – town office at 1001 Carriage Road – opens at 8 a.m
CARTHAGE – town office at 703A Carthage Road – opens at 8 a.m.
CHESTERVILLE – town office at 409 Dutch Gap Road – opens at 8 a.m.
COPLIN PLANTATION (& Wyman Twp) – town office at 8 School Street – opens at 10 a.m.
DALLAS PLANTATION – townhouse at 436 Dallas Hill Road – opens at 10 a.m.
EUSTIS – town office at 88 Main Street – opens at 8 a.m.
FARMINGTON – community center at 127 Middle Street – opens at 8 a.m.
INDUSTRY – town office at 1033 Industry Road – opens at 8 a.m.
JAY – community building at 13 Community Drive – opens at 8 a.m.
KINGFIELD – Webster Hall at 38 School Street – open at 8 a.m.
NEW SHARON – town office at 11 School Lane – open at 8 a.m.
NEW VINEYARD – Smith Memorial Hall at 1680 New Vineyard Road – opens at 8 a.m.
PHILLIPS (& Madrid) – Phillips Primary School at 15 Russell Street – opens at 8 a.m.
RANGELEY – town office at 15 School Street – opens at 8 a.m.
RANGELEY PLANTATION – School House at 393 South Shore Drive – opens at 10 a.m.
SANDY RIVER PLANTATION – town office at 33 Town Hall Road – opens at 10 a.m.
STRONG (& Freeman) – Forster Memorial Building at 14 South Main – opens at 8 a.m.
TEMPLE – town hall at 258 Temple Road – opens at 8 a.m.
WELD – multi-purpose room at 23 Mill Street – opens at 10 a.m.
WILTON – municipal building at 158 Weld Road – opens at 8 a.m.
Would help if the incumbents were identified
The only thing stupider than rank choice voting is the way the question concerning it on the ballot is worded.
Captain, the only thing stupider than ranked choice voting is an electorate that allows a legislature to ignore the results of an election.
I voted no on ranked choice last time, same thing for legal pot.
However, the vote of the people is supposed to be followed.
The precedent set here is alarming.
If we don’t like the results of an election we can’t just say “The voters have no idea, I know better” That is what happened with LePage and gang over any issue he did not like. How many bonds that were voted for did he refuse to fund.
So, if I don’t like someone who won an election does that give me the right to ignore any laws they pass? No.
The nice thing is that in a democracy, I have the right to vote.
To me, the people against ranked choice should have put forth a ballot question to over turn it.
I grew up in Massachusetts and when it came to the seat belt law, this is what happened.
First, the legislature passed the law without any ballot question. A radio talk show host organized the electorate and in the next election, there was a ballot question to over turn the law. It passed by a decent margin.
Many reading this will say why vote against a safety law. Well, the next year, there was another ballot question to make seat belts mandatory and it won easily. The point was that democracy is government for the people by the people.
The votes resented the arrogance of the legislature who passed the original law late at night just as the legislative session ended.. In the end, the result that almost everyone wanted happened but how we all got there mattered.
Again, I don’t like ranked choice but I am voting yes because the principle here is far too important to ignore.
Also, I don’t plan on picking a second, third etc choice. I believe I also have the right to do that. Again, the greatness of living in a democracy and not an autocracy.
I find it deceptive that a person known by their given name suddenly decides to use their first initial and middle name when running for office. My guess is that this person is hoping by using the middle name, people will not recognize the trouble he has been in.
I voted for a single candidate. I chose NOT to RANK the rest, either.