Early voting is happening in Boothbay region
Maine voters have until Oct. 31 to seek an absentee ballot. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
Maine voters have until Oct. 31 to seek an absentee ballot. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
Since Oct. 7, every day in Maine has been Election Day as voters have returned 270,861 absentee ballots out of 334,923 requested statewide, according to the Secretary of State's office. Locally, town clerks report voting numbers as "steady," but returns remain similar to recent elections.
In Southport, 150 absentee ballots were requested as of Oct. 23 out of 600 registered voters, according to Town Clerk Donna Climo. In 2000, COVID-19 resulted in more absentee ballot requests with 300. In 2016, 100 Southporters cast early ballots.
In Boothbay Harbor, 620 out the 669 requested absentee ballots have been returned as of Oct. 23, according to Town Clerk Michelle Farnham. Boothbay Harbor has 2,036 registered voters. In 2020, 800 absentee ballots were cast. In 2016, 441 Boothbay Harbor residents voted absentee.
In Boothbay, there are 2,889 registered voters with 1,138 requesting an absentee ballot, according to Town Clerk Andrea Lowery. So far, 85 absentee ballot requests haven't been returned as of Oct. 23. In 2000, Lowery reported 1,400 absentee ballots were cast. In 2016, Boothbay had 930 absentee ballots returned.
In Maine, the deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 31.
