Penobscot County residents may not know for weeks if the county jail can move out of Bangor after the measure initially failed by 60 votes.
County officials have hinged their plans for a new $70 million to $80 million jail on moving the facility out of Bangor. If the certified result confirms the measure failed, they will have to restart their planning.
The results of the jail ballot question will be certified along with those of the state’s other races, according to the Maine Department of the Secretary of State. State law gives the secretary of state 20 days after the election, or until Nov. 23, to send certified results to the governor.
“The Secretary of State provides proclamation of the winners of county referendum questions when certified election results for federal, state and county offices are provided to the Governor,” said Jana Spaulding, a spokesperson for the department.
The county sees it differently. In a statement Friday, County Administrator Blair Tinkham said certifying a county referendum is the responsibility of the local governing authority. The county is seeking legal advice on how to accept and certify the results, and commissioners “will determine the appropriate action consistent with state law and established election procedures,” his statement said.
Tinkham did not answer questions about the discrepancy in who will certify these results.
Once the vote is certified, Penobscot County officials will have the opportunity to conduct a recount if they choose to pursue one, Spaulding said. County Commissioner David Marshall and Tinkham did not respond to questions asking about the county’s plans to hold a recount.
It’s not clear how long a recount would take. The same ballots are already undergoing a ranked-choice tabulation for the race between Congressional candidates Matt Dunlap and Paul LePage.
The county’s vote tabulation shared by Tinkham also differs from the Bangor Daily News’ results collection. By the county’s count, the measure failed by 136 votes, which is more than double the 60-vote difference tabulated by the BDN.
County Commissioner Andre Cushing did not share how the county obtained that figure when asked by phone Friday.