The flurry of TV ads and mailers has subsided with Election Day now less than three weeks away. Here are some reminders and a look at the November 7 ballot for New Gloucester voters.
What will we be voting on? This year, there are no state or local candidates for office on the ballot and no local issues to be voted on, only eight state-wide referendum questions:
— Questions 1 through 4 are citizen-initiated measures. Learn more about those proposed laws and their path to the ballot at this link.
— Questions 5 through 8 propose amendments to the Maine Constitution. Read about them at this link.
The polls will be open in New Gloucester for in-person voting on Tuesday, November 7, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Fire Station, 611 Lewiston Road. You can register at the polls that day.
Absentee voting is already under way. Absentee ballots are available at the Town Hall counter during open hours Monday through Thursday. (Mon. 10-7, Tues. 8-5, Wed. 8-5, Thurs. 7-4.) You can vote in person at that time or take the ballot home.
Absentee ballots can also be requested by calling the Town Office at 926-4126 ext.1 or online at this link, and the ballot will be mailed to you. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is three business days before the election.
Completed ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on November 7.
Completed ballots can be returned in person at the desk during Town Office hours, returned by mail, or dropped off in the mail slot at the back of Town Hall. Don’t take completed ballots to the Fire Station on Election Day.
The ballot drop box formerly in front of Town Hall isn’t an option this election season. The drop box was damaged – and removed – after accidentally being struck by a visitor’s vehicle, Town Manager Bill Kerbin said.
Why vote? New Gloucester’s November 7 ballot may be slimmer than in years past, but the issues on it may affect us and our fellow Mainers for decades to come.
— Joanne Cole
