State & Local Election coverage
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A proposal before the charter commission would allow all residents of legal voting age the right to participate in local races, but questions remain about the legality and impact on a vulnerable population.
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The elections will fill the District 5 and two at-large seats now open on the school board.
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Portland would be the first municipality in the state to have a clean elections program. A public meeting is set for Tuesday.
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A special election could be held as early as April to fill the three vacancies or the city could wait until the next regularly scheduled election in June.
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A city review found a 45-vote discrepancy between ballots counted on Election Day and during a hand recount, but the outcome of the election remains unchanged.
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Proposals such as universal basic income and participatory budgeting, where neighborhoods make some of their own spending decisions, could gain traction.
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The legal fight has been going on since the city blocked a ballot question in 2019.
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Brandon Mazer conceded the race after a recount.
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The process was to continue Wednesday morning, with 37 ballots still disputed.
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Opponents of a new 208-bed shelter say they will no longer try to stop it and will instead focus their efforts on housing, rather than sheltering, the homeless.
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Roberto Rodriguez, the losing candidate, immediately said he would ask for a vote recount.
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The town completed the process and voted to leave, but did not have enough votes to validate it.
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But the vote to free the town from enforcing a ban on tearing it down does not necessarily mean the owners will be allowed to do so to rebuild it.
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The unofficial result means the city likely will be able to move forward with its plan to build a 208-bed homeless services center without a legal battle.
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City officials said Sarah Thompson can't formally withdraw from the race because the city charter requires candidates to sign a pledge to stay in the race.
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A commercial real estate agent and a local developer have formed a ballot question committee to support Option C, which would allow the city's 208-bed homeless services center in Riverton to move forward.
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Mayor Misha Pride is challenged by longtime school board Chairman Richard Matthews in District 3, and former councilor Linda Cohen faces human rights leader Margaret Brownlee in District 4.
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Biddeford has undergone a transformation since bringing down its trash incinerator. But the city's popularity is pricing people out.
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Political newcomers Louis "Roo" Dunn and Tim Pratt are vying for one open seat, while Mary Ellen Bell is running uncontested for another.
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The tension that has been building in recent years between an energized, aggressive progressive movement and more moderate city officials seems to have spiked in the last week.
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A political newcomer is taking on a longtime Portland resident and former elected official for a seat on the Portland City Council representing the West End and Parkside.
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Joseph Bruno, Dana Desjardins and Abigail Geer are running for a three-year term on the Raymond select board.
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Officials' interpretation of the minimum wage ordinance approved by 62% of voters last week runs contrary to organizers' intent, their attorney says.
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Question E on Portland's municipal ballot, which would prohibit non owner-occupied short-term rentals, lost by only 222 votes, making it the only referendum defeated by voters on Nov. 3.
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The confusion about whether it takes effect next month or in January 2022 stems from the wording of the ordinance.
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A similar measure was soundly rejected 3 years ago, but on Tuesday 58% of voters supported the change. Still, critics say it won't help affordable housing.
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Yusuf Yusuf won a three-way race for an at-large seat with 55 percent of the vote.
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The only citizen referendum rejected by the voters was one that would have further restricted short-term rentals in the city.
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An election marked by a deadly pandemic, deep polarization and record-setting absentee voting will come to a close Tuesday, but some races may not be decided for days.
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East District incumbent Brett Jones faces challenger Harrison Deah, and Mark Morrison and Bob Muir will square off for the at large seat.
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Tammy Walter, R-Cape Elizabeth, is challenging state Rep. Christopher Kessler, D-South Portland.
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Key areas of debate include Scarborough's significant residential growth and its effect on public services, schools and infrastructure.
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Mayor Kate Snyder says two initiatives on the Nov. 3 ballot could lead to additional cuts in city services.