Voters across the Lakes Region cast ballots Tuesday, many of them absentee ballots, in races that ranged from town selectman to the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. They also validated school budgets and approved two state referendum questions.

Across the nine towns, voters approved both state referenda: the first question, for the approval of a $15 million bond issue to invest in high-speed internet infrastructure for unserved or underserved areas; and the second, for the approval of a $105 million bond issue to improve highways and bridges statewide and for transportation facilities or equipment related to transit.

Registered Democrats voted overwhelmingly in favor of Sara Gideon over Betsy Sweet and Bre Kidman in the U.S. Senate primary race.

Here’s a round-up of the results.

Bridgton

In a close, seven-way race for the Board of Selectmen, incumbent George Frederick Packard won the most votes, with 428. For the second seat, there was a tie between Paul Tworog and Bernard King, who both received 347 votes. James Kidder received 336 votes; Robert McHatton, 325; incumbent Robert Murphy, 285; and George Paul Waterhouse, 267.

If neither candidate drops out of the race within seven days of the election, the vote will likely go to a run-off election.

There were three open seats on the Planning Board: one 3-year term, one 1-year term, and one 1-year term as an alternate. Incumbents Charles Kenneth Gibbs and Daniel Harden ran unopposed for the 3-year and 1-year term seats, respectively. Gibbs won 1,030 votes and Harden got 1,046 votes.

There were no candidates for the alternate seat and 152 write-in ballots, with Mike Figoli receiving the most, at 44.

Incumbent Trustee Barry Gilman won 1,107 votes for the Water District. Incumbent Pamela Brucker won one of the two open seats on the SAD 61 Board of Directors with 1,031 votes. There were no other candidates.

Voters approved all eight questions on an ordinance to allow and regulate certain medical marijuana establishments, as well as the four questions on routine updates to the land use ordinance.

Residents approved all of the budget questions, which approved the town’s $7.6 million budget, and to appropriate $3.35 million from anticipated revenues, the unassigned fund balance, Bridgton Trust Fund and Moose Pond Trust Fund to reduce property taxes for the upcoming school year.

Residents voted to approve SAD 61’s $31.2 million budget 1,034-290.

On the first state referendum question, residents voted 1,017-369 in favor; and on the second question, 1,066-329 n favor.

In the U.S. Senate Democratic primary race, Bridgton voters went for Gideon, with 419 votes, over Sweet with 83 and Kidman with 35.

There were 924 absentee ballot requests.

Casco

Residents approved SAD 61’s $31.2 million budget, 478-132.

For the Lake Region School District board, incumbent Philip Shane ran unopposed and received 556 votes.

Robert MacDonald and incumbent Holly Hancock won the two open seats on the Board of Selectmen in an uncontested race. MacDonald received 349 votes and Hancock got 523.

For the Transfer Station Council, there were four write-in candidates: Katheryn Mulkern got 13 votes; Tuan Nguyen got three; and Alice Darlington and David Morton three votes each.

Voters approved both state referendum questions: 490-179 in favor of the first question and 525-149 in favor of the second.

In the U.S. Senate Democratic primary, Gideon won with 232 votes, followed by Sweet with 56 votes and Kidman with 19.

In the U.S. Senate Republican primary, incumbent Susan Collins received 188 votes and Amy Colter, who declared herself a write-in candidate in April, did not get any votes.

There were 410 absentee ballot requests.

Residents will weigh in on the municipal budget in a referendum vote July 28.

Gray

Incumbent Sandra Carder and newcomer Daniel Maguire won the two open seats on the Town Council, with 1,107 votes and 839 votes, respectively. Incumbent Michael Bailey received 626 votes.

Of the 13 municipal budget articles, 12 passed. Article 10, which would have increased the town’s property tax limit to $361,785 was defeated. The $9 million town budget was approved.

For the Gray Water District, newcomer Michael MacDonald won 773 votes to defeat incumbent Trustee Joseph Murray, who received 614 votes.

Voters approved both the $28.2 million SAD 15 and the $195,076 district adult education program budgets.

RSU 15 board incumbents Meaghen Kenney and Anne Rowe won 1250 and 1256 votes, respectively, in an uncontested race.

Voters approved the first state referendum question 1,250-536, and 1,382-414 on the second.

In the U.S. Senate Democratic primary race, Gideon received 595 votes; Sweet, 160; and Kidman, 51.

In the U.S. Senate Republican primary race, Collins won 531 votes and Colter got one vote.

There were 1,292 absentee ballot requests.

Naples

In a five-way race for two seats on the Selectboard, incumbent James Grattelo held his seat with 337 votes, while political newcomer Theodore Shane won the second open seat with 374 votes. Incumbent Kevin Rogers came in third with 252 votes. Richard Robinson received 144 votes and Robert Nyberg got 109; Marie Kushner withdrew from the race in June but received 120 votes.

For the three-year term seat on the Planning Board, unopposed incumbent Douglas Bogdan got 608 votes. There were no candidates for the two 3-year term alternative seats on the Planning Board nor the two seats on the Budget Committee. However, Grattelo and Nyberg both received four votes for the Planning Board, and Robinson and Nyberg got four and six votes, respectively.

For SAD 61 Directors, incumbent Jennifer Christiansen won 616 votes in an uncontested race.

The $31.2 million SAD 61 budget passed 607-168.

The results of the state primary and referendum questions were not available by noon Wednesday.

There were 298 absentee ballot requests.

Residents approved the town’s $4.1 million budget at the June 25 annual Town Meeting.

New Gloucester

The proposed $8 million town budget will be sent back to the Selectboard for revisions after voters Tuesday rejected its appropriations for the New Gloucester Public Library and the Planning Department.

Voters also elected Peter Bragdon to a three-year term on the Board of Selectmen. Bragdon, a former chairman of the Budget Committee, defeated political newcomer Paul Larrivee Jr. 631-544.

All of the articles on the town meeting warrant passed except for the library and Planning Department budgets. The appropriation of $87,860 library was defeated 657-563. The $60,046 budget for the Planning Department was voted down 732-484.

The library and planning budgets had been cut during negotiations and were the topics of weeks of debate and budget revisions.

Results of Tuesday’s election were unavailable until about 9 p.m. Thursday.

“Due to the outstanding voter turnout and volume on Election Day, the required hand counting of the ballots is taking an especially long time to complete,” read a statement on the town’s website. The town office was closed an additional day, on Thursday, to count the ballots.

In the U.S. Senate Democratic primary, New Gloucester voters favored Sara Gideon with 409 votes. Betsy Sweet and Bre Kidman, received 111 and 31 votes, respectively.

Incumbent U.S. Sen. Susan Collins received 411 votes in the Republican primary, and Amy Colter, who declared herself as a write-in candidate in April, received 20 votes.

Voters approved the two state referendum questions. On the first question, for the approval of a $15 million bond issue to invest in high-speed internet infrastructure for unserved or underserved areas, 909 residents voted for it and 433 voted against.

The second question, for the approval of a $105 million bond issue to improve highways and bridges statewide and for transportation facilities or equipment related to transit, passed in town 972-376.

Raymond

In the candidate-less Budget-Finance Committee race, four residents received four or more write-in ballots: Joe Bruno got six; Laurie Forbes, Leigh Walker and Kaela Gonzalez each received four.

Bruno is already on the committee and Gonzalez is ineligible as a town employee. Forbes and Walker will be contacted to see if they are interested in the positions, according to Town Clerk Sue Look. There were 63 other write-in ballots that received less than four votes.

Voters also approved the four articles on the RSU 14 budget validation ballot. Windham residents also voted to approve the $50.8 million budget. All 34 articles for the town’s $5 million budget also passed.

In the uncontested Board of Selectmen race, incumbents Samuel Gifford received 799 votes and Lawrence Taylor, 757.

For the RSU 14 board, incumbent Anna Keeney ran unopposed and received 316 votes.

Voters approved question one on the state referendum ballot 808-260, and question two 812-266.

In the Democratic primary, voters went for Gideon with 397 votes, over Sweet with 110 and Kidman with 34.

In the Republican primary race, Collins won 318 votes and Colter got two votes.

There were 625 absentee ballot requests.

Sebago

Voters Tuesday approved the $3,7 million Sebago School District budget, 290-58. The budget is up 2.3% from the current year’s budget of $3.65 million.

Former Selectboard members Ann Farley and Philip Lowe were uncontested in the election for two three-year term seats on the Board of Selectmen. Farley received 270 votes, and Lowe received 219. For the two-year term, incumbent Tim Mayberry also was uncontested and received 320 votes.

Incumbent Carol Maddox was the only candidate for two open seats on the Budget Committee. She received 316 votes.

Ann Farley received 311 votes for a 5-year term as a Sebago Cemetery trustee, and Carol Maddox received 310 for a 7-year term as a Dr. Joseph Fitch Potter Trustee.

On the Sebago School Board, there were two, 3-year term open seats. Incumbents Tina Vanasse won 290 votes and Donelle Allen received 48 votes as a write-in candidate. There were 17 other write-in ballots.

Voters approved the first state referendum question 267-87, and the second 275-81.

Sebago voters went for Gideon in the Democratic primary, with 129 votes, over Sweet with 37 and Kidman with 10.

In the Republican primary, Collins received 92 votes and Colter did not get any votes.

There were 146 absentee ballot requests.

Standish

Political newcomer Walter Butler beat out former Town Councilor Greg Sirpis for the At-Large seat on the Town Council, 950-641.

The two other open seats, for Area 2 and Area 4, were uncontested. Incumbents Joseph Paul received 1,320 votes for the Area 2 seat and Brian Libby got 1,326 votes for the Area 4 seat.

There were no candidates for five open Planning Board seats and three Budget Committee seats.

The four municipal referendum questions passed, with residents approving up to $1.67 million in bond issues for Public Safety, Public Works, General Administration and highway road improvements capital expenditures.

Residents approved the town’s $10.7 million budget at the annual Town Meeting in June.

In the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, Sara Gideon received 511 votes, Betsy Sweet got 157 and Bre Kidman got 51.

In the Republican primary, incumbent Susan Collins received 578 votes. Declared write-in candidate, Amy Colter, received one vote.

Voters approved the first state referendum question 1,259-516, and the second 1,342-432.

Incumbent John M. Sargent received 1,289 votes in an uncontested race for the Bonny Eagle School District Board of Directors.

The SAD 6 budget validation referendum will be held on Aug. 11.

There were 1,259 absentee ballot requests.

Windham

Voters approved the $50.8 million RSU 14 budget 2,496 to 1,120. The Windham-Raymond district’s budget was also approved in Raymond.

Three other questions on the RSU 14 ballot passed as well: to authorize the district to appropriate an undefined amount of additional funds to the adult education program; to transfer funds from the unspent balances to the School Capital Reserve Fund; and to issue bonds through the state’s zero interest rate/loan forgiveness School Revolving Renovation Funds Project for health and safety renovations.

In the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, Gideon received 1,429 votes to Betsy Sweet’s 381 and Bre Kidman’s 109.

Voters approved the first state referendum question 2,729-968, and the second 2,876-849.

There were 3,082 absentee ballot requests.

The town budget was approved at the June 13 annual Town Meeting. Municipal and school board officers are elected in November.

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