Absentee ballots for the June 14 state primary were supposed to be available to all voters starting Monday, but there’s been a slight delay in some Maine towns as clerks wait for a late shipment from the printer.

The state ballots were supposed to arrive at town and city halls across the state by Saturday, but some clerks say they have yet to receive them. The printer contracted by the state to print the ballots says they have been shipped and all clerks should have them by Wednesday, according to the Maine Secretary of State’s Office.

“There’s still plenty of time to vote,” said Kristen Muszynski, spokeswoman for the secretary of state.

State legislative and congressional primaries will be held in June. There are no referendums on the June ballot.

Kim McLaughlin, the town clerk in Old Orchard Beach, said she’s in a bit of a unique situation because she hasn’t received state or local ballots from the printers. The printer who does the town’s local ballots sent McLaughlin the ballots last week, but they arrived bound in elastics instead of shrink-wrap.

“Some were ripped and some were bent,” she said.

Those ballots are being reprinted so they can go through the voting machines without a problem.

“Luckily, not too many people have been requesting ballots yet. At least it isn’t happening in the middle of a rush,” McLaughlin said.

In Biddeford, City Clerk Carmen Morris received the ballots on Monday and had them mailed out by the end of the day. The ballots arrived in Portland on Tuesday and the city clerk’s office there reported that all absentee ballot requests were being filled by the end of the day. The office is also now set up for voters who stop in to fill out an absentee ballot.

Martha Huff, the town clerk in Hollis, hasn’t received any sate ballots, but plans to send them out “the minute we get them in.” She said she’s only received about a half-dozen requests for absentee ballots.

Sue Cote, who has been the Sanford city clerk for five years, says this is the first time during her tenure that she hasn’t received ballots on time. The ballots finally arrived at her office on Tuesday afternoon, so she’ll be able to get absentee ballots out to the dozen voters who had requested them, she said.

McLaughlin, the Old Orchard Beach clerk, said she’s heard from other clerks that they received their ballots Monday and are in the process of mailing them out.

“I know they’re coming,” she said. “People have been very understanding.”

Gillian Graham can be contacted at 791-6315 or at:

ggraham@pressherald.com

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