The weather on Election Day was cold and damp, but it didn’t deter Fort Fairfield voters from making a solid showing at the polls.
More than a third of the town’s 2,025 active voters, or 741 people, cast their ballots on Nov. 7 at the community center gym, Town Clerk Neadra Dubois said.
“It was a good turnout, a lot more than we expected,” Dubois said. “We had a steady flow all day.”
Residents decided two local races. The only contested race was for a single three-year term on the Fort Fairfield Town Council. Newcomer Shane McGillan defeated incumbent Robert Kilcollins and another newcomer, Chris Perkins, by receiving 450 votes.
Killcollins had 169 votes and Perkins garnered 92.
Two three-year seats were up for grabs on the SAD 20 school board. The two candidates, Melissa Libby and Chalice White, won the seats with 555 and 474 votes, respectively.
In the statewide referendum vote, the town followed the rest of Maine on two of the most controversial issues, killing Question 3 to create Pine Tree Power and approving Question 4, the automotive right to repair.
On Question 3, 553 people voted no and 186 voted yes. On Question 4, 574 voted yes and 162 voted no.
Other votes were as follows.
Question 1, barring government entities and consumer-owned electric utilities from borrowing more than $1 billion without statewide voter approval: Yes, 520; no, 214.
Question 2, banning foreign campaign contributions: Yes, 635; no, 99.
The rest of the questions involved amending the state constitution. Voters approved Question 5 to extend petition review time with a vote of 377 to 355, and Question 6 regarding printed copies of the constitution with a vote of 495 to 238.
Residents came out against Question 7, removing the state citizenship requirement for petitioners, with 534 voting no and 181 voting yes.
They also voted against Question 8, allowing those under guardianship with mental illness to vote, with a tally of 436 to 263.
Check the Bangor Daily News results at bangordailynews.com/maine-election-results/# to see how the rest of Aroostook County and all of Maine voted.
