Absentee voting going strong in town
Absentee voting going strong in town
By Lucas Knowles
Editor
More than 1,600 people have already cast their ballots in Scarborough because of absentee voting.
Maine is one of more than 25 states that offers "no excuse" absentee balloting, where anybody can vote absentee who wishes to. That provision has been in place in the state since 2001.
Voters in Scarborough have several issues on the ballot this fall, including races for Town Council, School Board and two construction referendums for Scarborough schools, along with State House and Senate races and a gubernatorial race.
Town Clerk Tody Justice said just over 1,600 people have cast absentee ballots in Scarborough at press time. During the last gubernatorial election in 2002, Scarborough had 1,341 people vote absentee.
Justice said election officials are expecting to see a large voter turnout in Scarborough this year. The town annually has one of the largest percentages in the state of people who vote in the November election.
Many people still are learning about Maine’s “no excuse” provision for absentee balloting, according to Justice.
“We still have people who don’t realize that you don’t need a reason (to vote absentee) now,” Justice said.
During this election season, Scarborough is one of the pilot sites in Maine that is using the new central voter registry (CVR). The state’s CVR will eventually be used by all municipalities within the state. The database will perform such tasks as adding a new voter to a municipality’s record while simultaneously deleting them from their previous hometown. The CVR will also be able to be used by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles.
The Help America Vote Act, passed in 2002, mandates that all states must have central voter registries. The legislation was crafted in response to the issues that came about in the 2000 presidential election.
Justice said the town is encouraging people to vote absentee.
For more information on absentee balloting, call the clerk's office at 730-4020. In order to have an absentee ballot mailed, an employee in the clerk's office needs to speak to the voter who is requesting the ballot.
Those wanting to vote absentee in person can do at Scarborough Town Hall.
This year, Election Day is on Nov. 7. Voting on that day will take place from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Scarborough High School gymnasium.
By Lucas Knowles
Editor
More than 1,600 people have already cast their ballots in Scarborough because of absentee voting.
Maine is one of more than 25 states that offers "no excuse" absentee balloting, where anybody can vote absentee who wishes to. That provision has been in place in the state since 2001.
Voters in Scarborough have several issues on the ballot this fall, including races for Town Council, School Board and two construction referendums for Scarborough schools, along with State House and Senate races and a gubernatorial race.
Town Clerk Tody Justice said just over 1,600 people have cast absentee ballots in Scarborough at press time. During the last gubernatorial election in 2002, Scarborough had 1,341 people vote absentee.
Justice said election officials are expecting to see a large voter turnout in Scarborough this year. The town annually has one of the largest percentages in the state of people who vote in the November election.
Many people still are learning about Maine’s “no excuse” provision for absentee balloting, according to Justice.
“We still have people who don’t realize that you don’t need a reason (to vote absentee) now,” Justice said.
During this election season, Scarborough is one of the pilot sites in Maine that is using the new central voter registry (CVR). The state’s CVR will eventually be used by all municipalities within the state. The database will perform such tasks as adding a new voter to a municipality’s record while simultaneously deleting them from their previous hometown. The CVR will also be able to be used by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles.
The Help America Vote Act, passed in 2002, mandates that all states must have central voter registries. The legislation was crafted in response to the issues that came about in the 2000 presidential election.
Justice said the town is encouraging people to vote absentee.
For more information on absentee balloting, call the clerk's office at 730-4020. In order to have an absentee ballot mailed, an employee in the clerk's office needs to speak to the voter who is requesting the ballot.
Those wanting to vote absentee in person can do at Scarborough Town Hall.
This year, Election Day is on Nov. 7. Voting on that day will take place from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Scarborough High School gymnasium.
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