LEWISTON — Voter turnout for Tuesday’s municipal election was good, but it didn’t set any records.
City Clerk Kathy Montejo said ballots were cast by 8,393 voters, about 33.5 percent of the city’s 25,009 registered voters.
That surpassed the most recent 2013 municipal election, which had a 28 percent voter turnout, she said.
“But that year, the municipal ballot was the only thing bringing voters out,” she said. “The state had mostly bond issues on the ballot.”
Two years before, in 2011, 44 percent of voters cast ballots. Like this year, the mayoral race had five candidates and led to a runoff vote between Bob Macdonald and Mark Paradis.
“But that was also the ballot that had the questions about a Biddeford casino and legalizing gambling in Lewiston,” Montejo said. “So that had much more interest.”
Paradis died the Friday before that election and the December 2011 runoff vote had a 21 percent voter turnout rate.
By contrast, 2012’s presidential election had a 66 percent voter turnout, and 2014’s gubernatorial race had a 58 percent rate.
According to Montejo‘s office, Ward 2 had the greatest voter turnout with 1,315 residents casting ballots. According to Tuesday’s results, Ward 2 went for Macdonald, 609 votes to 439 for Chin. Macdonald also bested Chin in Wards 4, 6 and 7.
Lewiston’s Ward 5 had the smallest turnout, with 457 registered voters showing up at the polls. Chin had the edge there over Macdonald, 219-136.
Chin also won in Wards 1 and 3 and he had the edge when it came to absentee ballots, with 986 compared to 725 for Macdonald.
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