Only a few weeks remain before Mainers head to the polls across the state. It’s an off year for national politics, which typically means lower turnout, but several important state and local referendums will take place.
The only statewide contests are two referendum questions — Question 1 would add identification requirements for voting and limit absentee voting, while Question 2 would create a “red flag law” to allow courts to temporarily seize guns from high-risk individuals — but there are other consequential issues appearing on local and county ballots across the state.
Bangor City Council
In Bangor, nine candidates are running for three seats on City Council — the greatest number of candidates the city has seen since 2019. The field is also relatively inexperienced in city politics; it is the first time no incumbent has run for council in a decade.
Washington County budget gap
Voters in Down East Maine will be asked whether to allow Washington County to borrow up to $11 million in new debt. If they assent, it would help the county out of a deep fiscal crisis; if residents reject the proposal, it could put pressure on the state to bail the county out or allow it to go bankrupt. The county is currently on track to default on millions of dollars in loans by Dec. 31 and run out of cash entirely in February.
The budget gap, caused by years of mismanagement, has inflamed voters in the conservative, rural county, where many have expressed skepticism about the idea of allowing the county to take on more debt. County commissioners have struggled to come up with backup plans to keep government services running if voters fail the referendum.
Officials have proposed limiting the amount of debt the county takes on if the bond passes, and have sent prosecutors information regarding past use of funds — two moves which could help assuage a tax-weary public and increase the odds that the bond referendum passes.
Lingering school budgets
Washington County is not the only part of the state facing taxpayer discontent. After a summer of fraught budget discussions, two school districts are still attempting to pass budgets months into the school year.
Regional School Unit 20, based in Searsport, is voting for a third time on a school budget. Officials there cut their proposal slightly after the coastal region’s second school budget referendum was rejected by a margin of just 15 votes.
In Lisbon, discontent over a town budget led taxpayers to twice reject a school budget. Facing a third vote in November, residents have been offered a modest cut. Taxpayer frustration over the summer also led the town council to place a question on the ballot offering to create a charter commission tasked with revising the town’s governing document.
Augusta school board
In Augusta, a packed local school board race will decide the fate of a group racked by controversy this year. For months, the capital city’s school board has faced a contingent of residents and activists pushing to bar transgender students from playing sports and using private spaces that align with their gender identities.
Months of discussions have resulted in an arrest and sharp criticism of the board’s public comment policies by conservative activists. At another dramatic meeting on Wednesday, the board voted to avoid revisiting its policy on transgender students. Some activists began stripping before the board in protest.
Next month, Augusta residents will vote for three school board members. While the city has non-partisan elections, campaigning has been split along ideological lines; the Democrats have endorsed three candidates, including one incumbent. Conservatives, including board member Kati McCormick, are pushing to elect a slate of candidates to increase conservative power on the board.
Daniel O’Connor is a Report for America corps member who covers rural government as part of the partnership between the Bangor Daily News and The Maine Monitor, with additional support from BDN and Monitor readers.