RUMFORD — Towns from Rumford to Bethel were on track Tuesday to best Election Day turnouts from the last gubernatorial election four years ago, officials said.

By 2:19 p.m., Rumford had ballots from more than 1,500 residents, 600 of which were absentee ballots, Selectman and ballot warden Mark Belanger said.

With three voting machines running and only one two-sided ballot, there were no lines.

“It’s been steady, with no glitches,” Belanger said. “Next year, we’ll have five machines. People were frustrated last year. There were no lines at all today.”

Town Clerk Beth Bellegarde said that four years ago, 2,467 residents voted in the gubernatorial election.

“We’re projected to do just as much this year,” Belanger said.

Bellegarde said Rumford had picked up 60 new voters by 2:25 p.m.

In Newry, Administrator Loretta Powers said 210 residents cast votes in 2010. By mid afternoon Tuesday, more than 100 had cast votes, “which is pretty darned good for us,” she said.

They had 48 absentee ballots and three new voters.

In Woodstock, Deputy Clerk Rose Fraser said they had 95 absentee ballots and a high turnout. Because they have no machines to tally voters, they didn’t know how many had voted.

“It has been very steady all day, which is good,” she said. “It’s been a good turnout.”

Like Rumford and Newry, Bethel was on track to reach or surpass the 1,399 residents who voted in the last gubernatorial election.

At 3 p.m., Bethel Town Clerk Christen Mason said that about 883 residents had voted, complementing 242 absentee ballots. They signed up 15 new voters.

“We had the same number of absentee ballots four years ago,” Mason said. “It’s been pretty steady all day today. Three or four times, we had just short lines formed from people waiting for a booth to open up.”

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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