LEWISTON — Absentee ballots for Twin Cities races should be next week.
Voters in both Lewiston and Auburn will go to the polls Nov. 5. All elected seats in both cities — including the jobs of mayor, City Councilors and School Committee representatives — are up for election.
Residents can begin voting via absentee ballots Friday, Oct. 4.
In Lewiston, City Clerk Kathy Montejo said voters can call her office at 513-3124 to request a ballot, or register for one at the city’s website, www.lewistonmaine.gov.
Montejo said her staff will also host special voting from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 24 and 25 and Oct. 28 to 31 in the council chambers on the basement floor of City Hall. The voting hours for Oct. 30 will be extended to 7 p.m.
“The whole operation will be done downstairs,” Montejo said. “Nothing will be upstairs on those days. They can register, they can vote, they can do it all.”
In Auburn, residents can request an absentee ballot by calling the clerk’s office at 333-6600, by registering at the city’s website at www.auburnmaine.gov or by going to the clerk’s office in Auburn Hall on Court Street. Voting booths will be set up there, as well.
Oct. 31 is the deadline to request an absentee ballot, according to state law, but residents can submit their ballot to their clerk’s office until 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Campaigning in Lewiston has started in earnest. Montejo said city rules allowed candidates to begin placing their signs on public rights of way, medians and along sidewalks Sept. 24.
“Prior to that, signs could be on private property, so you probably saw quite a few in front of homes,” Montejo said.
In Auburn, campaign signs can’t be placed in public places until Oct. 7, which is 30 days before the election.
“If we see signs up early, we will call the candidate and let them know that they need to be removed,” Deputy City Clerk Alison Pepin said.
Both cities are looking for volunteers to work at the polls on Election Day, but the need is more critical in Auburn. Each polling place needs at least one clerk, one warden and multiple election clerks.
Auburn’s Pepin said the city has a warden and ward clerk in Ward 2 and a ward clerk in Ward 4, but needs volunteers for every other position in each ward.
Lewiston’s Montejo said new volunteers are always welcome.
Montejo said the biggest change this year will be for voters in Ward 6. The polling place there is moving from the Elks Lodge on Lisbon Street to The Green Ladle restaurant on the Lewiston High School campus. The building is part of the Lewiston Regional Technical Center.
“The Elks Lodge was a fabulous facility, and they were fabulous to work with,” Montejo said. “But we really want to have all voting take place in city-owned buildings. It’s just easier from a scheduling standpoint.”
All other polling places are the same for both cities.
In Lewiston, polling places are:
Ward 1: Lewiston Armory, 65 Central Ave.
Ward 2: Montello School, 407 East Ave.
Ward 3: Lewiston Armory, 65 Central Ave.
Ward 4: Longley Elementary School, 145 Birch St.
Ward 5: Longley Elementary School, 145 Birch St.
Ward 6: The Green Ladle/Lewiston Regional Technical Center, Lewiston High School campus, 156 East Ave.
Ward 7: Longley Elementary School, 145 Birch St.
In Auburn, polling places are:
Ward 1: Washburn School, 35 Lake Auburn Ave.
Ward 2: Auburn Middle School, 38 Falcon Dr.
Ward 3: Auburn Hall, 60 Court St.
Ward 4: Fairview School, 397 Minot Ave.
Ward 5: Sherwood Heights, 32 Sherwood Dr.
Don’t forget to submit your questions for Lewiston’s candidates in Thursday’s mayoral forum. Email your questions to candidates@sunjournal.com or mail them to “Sun Journal, Mayor Debate, 104 Park St., Lewiston, ME 04243.”
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