/

Mills casts ballot in Farmington, encourages early voting

3 mins read
Governor Janet Mills beside a ballot drop box at the Farmington Municipal Building.

FARMINGTON – Governor Janet Mills voted via an in-person absentee ballot at the Farmington Municipal Building, saying afterward that she expected the election to run smoothly while encouraging people to vote early.

Mills said her conversations with the Secretary of State’s office indicated that “things are going well” in regards to the 2020 election. She cited actions such as municipalities installing ballot drop boxes and increasing the hours of availability for clerks, as well as providing election officials extra time prior to the election to tabulate absentee ballots as positive steps toward running a smooth election. Mills  noted that the Secretary of State’s office was advising people to put their contact information, in addition to the necessary signature, on the envelope if submitting an absentee ballot by mail to allow officials to contact them if there was an issue.

“I encourage people to vote early,” Mills said. “Get it done now.”

In Farmington, more residents have requested absentee ballots than in the previous presidential election. Town Clerk Leanne Dickey said that 1,696 ballots had been requested and 1,121 returned, following Mills’ vote Monday morning. That count is already higher than the total for the 2016 election: 1,073 ballots requested and 1,018 ballots returned.

Mills said she did not foresee issues on Election Day itself, noting that poll watchers for both sides would be out in force. She said that there’s been no evidence of voting fraud in Maine and spoke to the professionalism and integrity of election officials working for the various municipalities and the state.

She said that people voting on Nov. 3 should expect polling places to take precautions relating to COVID-19, including spacing out lines, and that would-be voters should be prepared to wait outside while leaving themselves sufficient time to cast their ballots. She also noted that Maine has same-day voter registration, allowing residents to register to vote at the polls on Nov. 3.

Governor Janet Mills arrives at the Farmington Municipal Building Monday morning.

Mills called the election one of the most important in her lifetime. She said that she cast her ballot for change and a return to civility and decency, while declining to speak specifically as to her favored candidates.

Mills also spoke briefly about Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, whom she called a friend, in response to a reporter’s question. Whitmer was the target of an alleged kidnapping plot that has resulted in several arrests in that state; the governor has also received significant criticism from President Donald Trump in relation to COVID-19 related restrictions in Michigan. Mills said that Whitmer was a person of courage and civility and predicted that the governor would outlast the president.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email