Internet & Transportation Bonds Approved, Gideon Wins Primary

The bond questions were approved, but one race is still undecided as it goes into a ranked choice tabulation.

Many residents voted by absentee ballots, due to the pandemic, with over 160 thousand requested in the weeks leading up to the election. But others opted to vote in person on Tuesday. Polling places were marked for social distancing, had plexiglas screens, and underwent regular cleanings. In addition, the state ordered approximately half a million pens, so voters could take them home, instead of having someone else use the same writing implement.

Results, recorded by NewsCenter Maine, between 2 and 3 Wednesday morning, showed that voters approved both bond questions.

Question 1, that dealt with moneys used for improving high-speed internet in the state garnered 188,904 yes votes, and 61,130 nays.

Question 2, which aims to make improvements to highways and bridges, took 194,824 yes votes, as opposed to 56,080 votes in the negative.

The Democratic Senate primary went to Sara Gideon, who got 70% of the votes over opponents Elizabeth Sweet and Bre Kidman.

District 2's Congressional race was not quite so cut and dry. Dale Crafts got 45% of the votes, Adrienne Bennett took 32%, and Eric Brakey had 23%. Brakey has conceded, but because Crafts didn't take over 50% of the votes, the race will be decided by ranked choice tabulation. 2nd UPDATE: Despite the concession of both Eric Brakey and Adrienne Bennett, Maine's Secretary of State says the decision will have to go through ranked choice tabulations, since Crafts did not garner at least 50% of the votes, which is required by law.