AUGUSTA – Mainers like to be able to register to vote on Election Day, and Tuesday they regained that ability by approving referendum Question 1 by a significant margin.

The People’s Veto vote effectively reverses new legislation enacted this year that requires residents to register to vote ahead of time, no later than the Thursday before Election Day.

Opponents to same-day voter registration said the earlier registrations helped prevent voter fraud, while supporters argued banning same-day registration makes it needlessly harder for voters to perform their civic duty.

With 93 percent of precincts officially counted as of 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, the yes votes totaled 233,233, and the no votes 153,155, a roughly 60-40 split. In Westbrook, the measure passed by a vote of 3,087 to 2,045; in Gorham the referendum passed by a count of 2,519 to 1,883, and in Buxton the measure passed by a count of 1,381 to 1,031. In the lakes region, Windham voters approved the question 2,599 to 1,954. In Raymond, the measure got 876 yes and 623 no votes, and Standish the measure passed by a count of 1,456 to 1,117 votes.

“I think Maine voters made a strong statement that they valued their voting right, and they’re willing to stand up for them,” said David Farmer, director of communications for the People’s Veto Coalition, a collection of groups supporting Question 1.

But Charlie Webster, chairman of the Maine Republican Party and a staunch supporter of the ban on same-day registrations, said Wednesday the vote was more of a sign of how wealth can influence elections than a sign that voters supported repealing the ban. He singled out S. Donald Sussman, the wealthy hedge fund manager, philanthropist and husband of U.S. Rep Chellie Pingree.

“Mr. Sussman is a wealthy man, and he manages to win elections every year by spending a lot of money,” Webster said. “It should educate Maine people. If we allow one man to buy an election, it should concern us all.”

A spokesman for Pingree referred comment on Webster’s remarks to coalition leaders. Mike Tipping, a Westbrook resident and communications director for the Maine People’s Alliance, a political action group that formed the coalition behind Question 1, said that Webster was deliberately making false accusations to distract from the substance of the issue.

“Charlie Webster’s false attacks on voters, on students and on the volunteers who powered Yes on 1 didn’t work during the campaign, and they certainly won’t work now,” he said.

Tipping also accused Webster and the GOP in Maine of being disingenuous, failing to report money that came in from out-of-state contributors.

“Webster knows about our contributions and expenditures because we ran a transparent campaign,” Tipping said.

Webster said voters want clean and fair elections, but clearly didn’t agree that such an ideal was in jeopardy.

“I think people in Maine want to make sure ballots are secure, and they didn’t think there was a problem,” Webster said.