Wednesday November 6, 2019
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Latest on Maine's election (all times local):
11 p.m.
Residents in Lewiston, Maine, have elected the first Somali American to the City Council.
Safiya Khalid, who's 23, soundly defeated a fellow Democrat on Tuesday. The Bangor Daily News reports that Khalid called her campaign proof that "community organizers beat internet trolls."
Fleeing war and famine, Somalis began settling two decades ago in Lewiston, which has about 36,000 residents. The city, Maine's second-largest, is now home to more than 5,000 Africans.
Several cities including Lewiston and Portland elected mayors on Tuesday.
There were only two issues on the statewide ballot. Mainers approved a $105 million transportation bond proposal and a constitutional amendment that ensures people who can't sign their names can still show support for referendum ballot petitions.
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9:35 p.m.
Mainers have approved a $105 million transportation bond proposal and a constitutional amendment that aims to ensure residents who are unable to sign their names can support citizens' initiatives and people's veto petitions.
Voters on Tuesday approved both measures on the statewide ballot.
The bond proposal will be matched by $137 million in federal and other funds. Most of the money will be directed toward the overhaul and replacement of highways and bridges. Money will also go to railroads, ports, marine transportation and aviation projects, among others.
The constitutional amendment directs the Legislature to come up with alternative signatures for physically disabled people to sign citizens' initiatives or people's veto petitions. The amendment was described by advocates as a housekeeping matter to ensure state policy is consistent.
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5:30 a.m.
It won't take Mainers long to fill in their ballots on Election Day.
There are only two items on the statewide ballot Tuesday.
One is a $105 million transportation bond package approved by legislators. The other is a constitutional amendment aimed at ensuring that physically disabled Mainers who are unable to sign their names can still support referendum drives.
The proposed constitutional amendment would direct the Legislature to come up with alternative signatures for signing citizens' initiatives or people's veto petitions.
Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said voter turnout is projected to be light except in communities where there are high-profile mayoral races.