What was the turnout like for the Maine voting on gay marriage in 2009?”
November 03, 2009 Categories:Same-sex marriage Turnout high in Maine Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap told me just now that turnout there is far exceeding his projections — news that would be good news for backers of same-sex marriage. “We’re seeing heavy and very steady turnout,” he said, attributing the surprise to the contested vote on a “people’s veto” of a same-sex marriage law driving Mainers to the polls. The city of Bangor — Maine’s third largest, and likely to tilt against repeal — is projecting turnout over 50%, he said, and local analysts have said that higher turnout would likely favor the marriage law. “I think we could be over 50%” for the state,” Dunlap said. “We originally projected 35%.” The day is “comfortable,” he said, by local standards, partly cloudy with weather in the upper 40s. The polls close at 8:00 p.m.
City clerks in two of Maine’s biggest cities say the voter turnout was far higher than during a traditional off-year election. Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap originally projected that 35 percent of voting age residents would turn out at polling places. He later amended that and said turnout would be higher. In Bangor, City Clerk Patti Dubois (DOO’-boy) says turnout was closer to 50 percent. And in South Portland, the heaver-than-expected turnout led to a shortage of ballots and City Clerk Susan Mooney had to send more than 1,000 photocopied ballots to polling places.
Maine—City clerks in two of Maine’s biggest cities say the voter turnout was far higher than during a traditional off-year election. Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap originally projected that 35 percent of voting age residents would turn out at polling places. He later amended that and said turnout would be higher. In Bangor, City Clerk Patti Dubois (DOO’-boy) says turnout was closer to 50 percent. And in South Portland, the heaver-than-expected turnout led to a shortage of ballots and City Clerk Susan Mooney had to send more than 1,000 photocopied ballots to polling places.
