Orono is considering changing its municipal election from March to November to improve voter access for University of Maine students.
Orono’s municipal election on March 14 was held during the University of Maine at Orono’s spring break, when many students left campus. Those interested in participating had to cast absentee ballots or stay in town to vote.
The university has nearly 12,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Not all of them are registered voters, but they could sway results if enough of them vote in a municipal election.
This isn’t the first time that Orono’s Town Council has broached the idea of moving the municipal election to either June or November to coincide with state and federal elections. Councilors are early in their talks about what such a change to the town charter would involve, but most appeared in favor of the move during a meeting earlier this week.
Councilors pointed to the importance of voter representation in a local election and a potential increase in voter turnout overall, among other benefits. They also raised questions about increased partisanship, the effect on councilors’ terms and whether the election date change could mean local races get lost among larger ones.
“There is nothing more fundamental to democracy than the right to choose where you participate,” Councilor Daniel Demeritt said at the meeting. “You get one vote, but you get to choose how you use it.”
The last municipal election, during which Demeritt and Councilor Sarah Marx were elected, drew 785 ballots, including 288 absentee ballots. That isn’t nearly enough, he said.
Orono voters cast 3,670 votes for the governor’s race in Maine’s general election last November, according to unofficial results.
UMaine students are closer to guests than residents in Orono, said Council Vice-Chair Leo Kenney, who doubted that many students register for a new license with their dormitory address when they move to campus.
Councilor Rob Laraway, who as a student registered to vote in Orono, argued the move is more common than Kenney characterized.
“Because they are legally allowed to vote, to make a decision on the basis that we want to discriminate against certain eligible voters would probably be a poor line of reasoning,” he said. “I am very much in favor of people who live here having representation in the government that affects their day-to-day lives.”
In the past, one of the reasons Orono’s council decided not to change the election date is because it could get lost amid federal, state and county races. There is a general fear that people won’t pay attention to who is running, Town Manager Sophie Wilson said.
It’s also possible that people who never show up for their municipal election might be more likely to vote because they participate in larger elections, Councilor Sarah Marx said. She suggested that across the board, this change could increase voter turnout.
Council Chair Geoff Wingard hesitated to endorse a change right off the bat, though he made clear he had not dismissed the idea.
As a longtime Bangor High School history teacher, he values the idea that communities develop an identity, which becomes part of the culture, he said. The routines and rituals he learned when he moved to Orono as a student became important to him, he said.
“I am cautious about throwing those identities away, particularly in an era where we seem to be homogenizing the landscape so that every town seems like every other town,” he said. “What makes Orono special is coming to the town as a student who grows into a member of the community.”
Councilors will continue the discussion when Wilson brings them information about the logistics involved. They talked about a possible public hearing in November and council vote in December, but this will only work if the change to the town charter is minor, said Wilson, who is waiting on confirmation from the town’s attorney.
