CARIBOU — Gov. Janet Mills recently moved the primary election out to July 14 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and municipalities across the state are now preparing to secure locations and find employees willing to work the event.
In Caribou, City Clerk Jayne Farrin said the city is planning to host the election at the Wellness and Recreation Center on Bennett Drive from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., but she is encouraging residents to vote from the safety of their homes via absentee ballots.
Farrin said residents not registered to a political party can still vote on the two bond issues: a $105 million transportation bond and a $15 million bond to provide high-speed internet in unserved or underserved rural areas that will match up to $30 million worth of funds from various sources.
To make remote voting even easier, Farrin said the law governing absentee voting has been modified, allowing residents to obtain and return absentee ballots up to the day of the election as opposed to the Thursday before the election. She said that, in the past, residents could only obtain a ballot after the prior Thursday in special circumstances, such as for medical purposes.
“This is not just for Caribou, but for all of us in the state of Maine, and we want to make sure that everyone who can vote has the opportunity to vote,” she said.
At this point, Farrin said she is prepared to run an election in July, but with nearly a quarter of the county’s population being above the age of 65 — and particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 — the clerk said she wants to make sure everyone is aware that the safest way to vote is via absentee ballot.
Out of 5,600 voters in Caribou, Farrin said on Thursday that 25 residents have already requested absentee ballots with the election more than two months away.
Voters in Caribou can access the city website for resources to help, request an absentee ballot via the state of Maine website or they can call the Caribou city office directly at 207-493-3324 and request a ballot. If residents choose to call, Farrin said they can only request ballots for themselves. A caller could not request a ballot for their spouse, for example.
Farrin said she and other municipal clerks are supportive of Mills’ decision to move the election out to July as opposed to June.
“I am very happy that it’s being moved to July,” she said. “There are still unknowns for the month of June, even though it’s weeks away. I think us clerks were getting a little apprehensive, and July feels better than June.”
