Across the United States, voters are turning out to cast their ballots for the 2024 Presidential Election, which is arguably one of the most important elections of the 21st century. Even in small towns such as Southwest Harbor, the voting turnout early in the morning was impressive.
Jennifer LaHaye, the town clerk in Southwest Harbor shared that about 500 absentee ballots had already been casted before the start of voting.
“We had a line out the door,” said LaHaye. “Within the first two hours, we were almost to 300 voters.”
LaHaye mentioned that the municipality had to complete several tasks specific to this election for it to run smoothly. Southwest Harbor went through a safety evaluation held by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to confirm that the polling site was meeting safety standards. Nationwide, municipalities are taking extra measures to secure voting locations, such as this.
While safety is a high priority for towns, getting their residents out to vote is just as important.
In Tremont, about ten minutes from Southwest Harbor, Sarah Abbot, the town clerk, enthusiastically pointed out their tactics to get people to vote.
Signs on the side of the road, posters in the post office, a banner on their town website and stickers surrounded the small settlement, which proved fruitful for the polling locations.
According to Abbot, there were about 83 votes casted in the first hour. As for absentee ballots, 432 were recorded, giving the municipality an estimate of about 600 residents who would come out on election day to submit their presidential choices.
However, in towns like Bar Harbor, the presidential election isn’t the only factor driving residents to the polling stations.
In 2022, the coastal town passed a vote to limit the number of cruise ship passengers allowed off the watercraft and into the small village. This caused a lot of discourse. Small businesses have spoken up about no longer receiving enough business due to the cap of tourists. Others believe that the bustling attraction stripped the town of its beauty.
This year, Bar Harbor is looking to increase the amount of passengers allowed off of cruise ships to 3,200 a day, and possibly increase that amount further during the busier months from May to August.
In the town office of Bar Harbor, this was certainly a driving force for voter turnout. Liz Graves, the town clerk, alluded to the bustling top floor of the building where voters were exercising their right to vote, as a line wound down the stairs early in the afternoon.
While the state of the election is considered rooted in our differences by some, many Mainers think that we should be focusing on something different.
“Every election is important for people to vote,” stated Emily Ellis of Tremont. “There is more focus on division than unity.”
Shortly after Ellis made her way out of the building a couple exited, clearly supporting the opposite party. Though, they held the same morals.
“We want unity out of this election,” stated Leigh Bird. “We want a positive outcome.”
Overall, voter turnout has been substantial compared to previous elections with one key mission on people’s minds; not to separate further, but to finally unite.
