Along with October comes the busiest and most intense part of campaign season, with this year no exception. In fact, this may prove to be the most attention-grabbing election in some time, with voter participation rates in Maine predicted to reach as high as 75 percent, exceeding the turnout rate in 2008 of just higher than 70 percent.
The ballot is full of compelling races and issues. At the top of the ticket, of course, is the race for president between President Barack Obama and former Gov. Mitt Romney, the latest race to be dubbed “the most important election of our lifetime.”
In addition, one of Maine’s U.S. Senate seats is up for grabs for the first time since 1996, when Susan Collins beat Joe Brennan. Since then, Collins and Olympia Snowe have held a lock on the two seats. With Snowe stepping down, the three-way race among Democrat Cynthia Dill, independent former Gov. Angus King and Republican Charlie Summers has brought national attention – and national political dollars – to Maine, setting up what should be a contentious month of campaigning.
Also up for a vote is the same-sex marriage referendum, which in any other year would be the top draw but is now relegated to third or fourth in most people’s minds. That may change as the campaign ramps up and more national attention is paid to the issue. If passed, Maine would be the first state to approve same-sex marriage by popular referendum.
That’s not to mention local races and issues and all the races for the state Legislature. We’ll be profiling the local legislative candidates and presenting one or two races each week in October, giving readers a sense of who is running and what issues they believe are important. All of the profiles will be available online at keepmecurrent.com once they are published.
We will also be publishing editorials on the U.S. Senate race and the same-sex marriage referendum in the coming weeks as part of our election coverage.
The ballot presents a challenge for the electorate, which is asked to vote on a wide range of candidates and issues amid all the misdirection and outright lying that mark political campaigns. We hope voters will use our coverage in addition to the many other resources available to make informed choices on Nov. 6.
Ben Bragdon, managing editor
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