Maine 2021 Election Results
Maine voters have approved all three referendum questions, including the controversial ban on a CMP transmission corridor.
Maine voters on Tuesday approved all three referendum questions, most notably a ban on a controversial transmission corridor already under construction by Central Maine Power.
Questions 1, 2, 3 CMP Corridor, Transportation/Infrastructure, Right to food
Question 1 - CMP Corridor
Voters passed Question 1, a citizen initiative to ban the construction of the Central Maine Power corridor, and require a two-thirds majority vote in the Maine Legislature to approve high-impact electric transmission line projects.
Question 2 - Transportation/Infrastructure
Voters passed Question 2, a $100 million bond issue to build or improve things like roads, bridges, railroads, airports, transit facilities, and ports.
"On behalf of the nearly 1,700 dedicated and hardworking team members at the Maine Department of Transportation, I want to thank Maine voters for approving Question 2 today," MDOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note said in a statement just after 9:30 p.m. "We are fortunate that Mainers historically have shown overwhelming support for transportation funding, and this year is no different. We never take that support for granted. Thank you."
"The $100 million general obligation bonds connected to Question 2 will trigger up to $253 million in other investments from federal, local, and private partners," Van Note continued. "Combined, this funding represents about 40% of what MaineDOT spends on transportation funding every year. These dollars are critical to our mission. Without these funds, we simply could not do our job for the people who live, work, and travel in Maine."
Question 3 - Right to food
Voters also passed Question 3, a constitutional amendment to declare that all Maine citizens have the right to grow, raise, harvest, produce, and consume food of their choosing.
Portland shelter referendum
Portland shelter referendum
Portland voters on Tuesday rejected two proposed amendments that would limit the size of emergency homeless shelters, opting instead for a third choice to keep current limits and allow officials to decide capacity based on individual proposals.
Voters saw three different options on their ballots:
- Option A was proposed by the group Smaller Shelters for Portland and would have limited the capacity of new emergency shelters to 50 beds. This ordinance would not have applied to any shelters that already exist or shelters specifically for families and domestic violence victims.
- Option B, which was endorsed by the Portland City Council, would have capped beds at 150.
- Option C, which prevailed, rejected both other proposed caps.
Portland city officials released the following results late Tuesday:
- Option A: 6,183
- Option B: 5,428
- Option C: 8,092
Supporters of the smaller shelters conceded:
City officials said they do not believe the referendum question will affect the development of the homeless services center in the Riverton neighborhood. The city council approved the lease for that center earlier this week.
Bangor city council and school committee
Bangor candidates
Bangor voters elected Gretchen Schaefer, Susan Hawes, and Dina Yacoubagha to the city council on Tuesday, and chose Sara Luciano and Ben Sprague to serve on the school committee.
Bangor City Clerk Lisa Goodwin said 7,033 votes were cast in the off-year election.
Seven candidates ran for three open seats on the council. Two seats on the school committee saw five candidates.
- Hawes: 3,264*
- Yacoubagha: 3,009*
- Schaefer: 2,567*
- Butler: 1,670
- Brochu: 1,485
- Martin: 2,281
- Leonard: 2,470
- Blanks: 4,302
- Sprague: 3,982*
- Luciano: 1,953*
- Crawley: 1,586
- Schaefer: 1,802
- Smith: 1,847
- Blanks: 2,832
* indicates winners
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