BANGOR, Maine — City officials have certified the results of Tuesday’s vote on the Bangor School Department’s $43.89 million budget.
The results have not changed from the unofficial numbers reported shortly after the polls closed, City Clerk Lisa Goodwin said.
The budget passed with a victory margin of three to one. A total of 1,478 votes were cast in favor of the budget and 458 cast in opposition.
A total 1,939 residents turned out for the election, including three who cast blank ballots either by not marking anything or by voting both for and against the budget.
Compared with the 22,234 residents who were registered to vote when the polls opened Tuesday morning, that’s a turnout rate of 8.72 percent.
That does not account for voters who registered at the polls. Goodwin said Wednesday morning they still were calculating the total number of registered voters at the time polls closed to determine exact voter turnout.
Overall, she said turnout was higher than expected and not typical of an election in which the school budget was the only question on the ballot.
The last time that happened was in 2011, when just 524 ballots were cast for a turnout rate of just 2.38 percent, according to Goodwin.
Voter turnout was 13 percent last year, but that election coincided with state primary elections, Goodwin said.
Had the budget failed, the school committee would have been forced to consider another budget, Superintendent Betsy Webb said before the election. Often, Maine school boards offer a reduced budget after a failed vote, she said.
Some also have resubmitted the same budget to voters again, and others have increased the budget when that happens, she said.
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