AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap is standing by his prediction of 35 percent voter turnout despite massive get-out-the-vote efforts on the same-sex marriage referendum.
Dunlap says he bases his estimate on requests for absentee ballots. He says the number of requests is high for a ballot featuring only referendums, but it doesn’t compare to a presidential election. In presidential elections, Maine’s voter turnout has sometimes hit 70 percent.
Mainers will vote Tuesday on gay marriage, two tax-related referendums, the repeal of school district consolidation and an expansion of the state’s medical marijuana law.