Brewer speaks with Maine Public about possible record-setting election turnout
Mark Brewer, a political science professor at the University of Maine, spoke with Maine Public for the report, “Signs point to record-setting election turnout in Maine.” By the deadline, nearly 258,000 Maine voters had requested absentee ballots, and more than 218,000 had filled them out, according to the report. Brewer said those figures signal a record-setting turnout this election. “The number of people who have already not only requested absentee ballots at this point, but submitted them at this point, is staggering,” he said. “Those are huge numbers.” With the combination of the presidential race, the tight 2nd Congressional District campaign and the referendum questions, Mainers could set a new record for participation in an election, the report states. Maine’s current record is 73.1 percent of eligible voters.