LAKES REGION–With few exceptions, Lakes Region residents voted similarly to their fellow Mainers in Tuesday’s elections, during which many voters claimed to make last-second choices from the large group of candidates running for governor.

While Naples and Frye Island ruined his chance of a sweep, Republican gubernatorial nominee Paul LePage won each of the other towns in the Lakes Region by a significant margin. Spoiler Les Otten, however, won Naples 128 votes to LePage’s 105 votes. And on Frye Island Otten bested LePage six votes to three.

On the Democrat side of the ballot, Elizabeth Mitchell defeated her fellow gubernatorial candidates in each local town except Frye Island, where Rosa Scarcelli eked out five votes to Mitchell’s two.

Despite the 2010 primary being Scarcelli’s first foray into gubernatorial politics, she did well in the Lakes Region, placing a comfortable second to Mitchell in each town around Sebago Lake.

On the other end of the spectrum, the candidates who did poorly statewide also did poorly in the Lakes Region. Bill Beardsley and Matt Jacobsen were consistently the lowest vote getters on the Republican side, and Pat McGowan fared worst overall in the Democratic race.

Voter sentiment

This year, Lakes Region voters seem to have taken a long time to make up their mind regarding which candidate would get their vote. Some even decided the day of the election. That trend resulted in fewer absentee ballots being cast.

“We normally have 100 absentee ballots, this year we have 50,” said Raymond Town Clerk Louise Lester. “I think it’s due to the fact that people couldn’t make up their minds. There were so many candidates.”

Lester said this year’s large crop of contenders probably made it difficult for voters to choose their candidate early on in the race. The lack of absentee ballots, she theorizes, means voters were having trouble identifying their top candidate early enough in the process.

“It’s like going to a restaurant and having a really big menu,” Lester said. “It’s hard to choose.”

If unofficial exit polling of voters on Tuesday is any indication, Lester was correct.

“I decided last night, after listening to the Channel 9 debate,” said Ralph Rao of Raymond.

“I came to my decision yesterday,” said Jeff Bland of Windham. “The similarities made it a difficult choice.”

“I waited until this morning, but why rush?” said Brian Rounds of Windham. “It was a close call between Rosa Scarcelli and Libby Mitchell.”

“I made up my mind yesterday,” said Amander Wotton of Windham, who searched the candidates’ websites looking for differences. “They all seem passionate about Maine, and it was hard figuring out who to choose, do I go with this aspect or that aspect?”

Lucien Deschaine of Windham ended up voting for eventual nominee Mitchell, but his choice was a carefully considered one.

“It was kind of a different process because the people running for that office have all paid their dues,” he said. “They’re all highly qualified to be governor of the state.”

Referendums

Voters in the Lakes Region reflected their fellow Mainers on the ballot referendum questions as well.

Local voters rejected the Maine Legislature’s attempt at tax reform by cutting the income tax but creating new sales tax categories. Voters approved Question 1, which repealed the legislative reform, by more than a 2-to-1 margin.

Reflecting the statewide trend, local voters also approved three of the bond questions. But they rejected Question 4, which asked voters to approve a $23.75 million bond to stimulate economic growth and job stimulus through research and development projects. Question 4 passed statewide.

On Question 5, the voters were split throughout the Lakes Region with five towns (Windham, Raymond, Bridgton, Gray, and Frye Island) narrowly approving the $10.25 million bond to improve drinking water quality and the five towns of Standish, Casco, Naples, New Gloucester and Sebago each defeating the bond proposal.

For specific totals on how voters in each of the 10 towns in the Lakes Region voted, see page 16.