This election shattered Maine records for voter participation

AUGUSTA — Maine’s top election official said voter participation records were shattered in the election.

Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap estimates that more than 75 percent of the voting-age population cast ballots, which is a record. And, based on unofficial figures, more than 800,000 ballots were cast, also a record, he said.

The previous record number of votes was 771,892 during the 2016 election, Dunlap said Thursday.

A long line formed outside Thornton Academy prior to the polls opening on Election Day on Tuesday. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

Remarkably, he said, the election went smoothly, despite the massive number of absentee ballots and a large number of in-person votes cast during a global pandemic.

Lots of people worked together, including the governor, clerks and state officials – and the private sector – to help things run smoothly.

Maine-based Flowfold and L.L. Bean donated personal protective equipment for poll workers across the state, Dunlap said.

A metal machining company in West Newfield produced 75 absentee ballot drop boxes that were based on a design provided by Southern Maine Community College, he said.

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