ORONO, Maine — The town of Orono will hold its yearly municipal elections Tuesday in the town council chambers from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Town council leaders are not only encouraging Orono residents to vote, but they are also asking voters to be prepared to answer "yes" or "no" on the ballot's referendum question.
In addition to deciding who will serve on the town council and the school board committees, voters will be asked to decide whether they want to move the town's annual local election day from the second Tuesday of March to November, which would coincide with presidential elections that happen quarterly and annual local elections in other municipalities across the country.
"For about 50 years now, Orono has had its municipal election in March," town council member Dan Demeritt said. "Turnout is really low."
This year's election falls on Super Tuesday, the biggest presidential primary election day. The town's elections regularly fall on the week that students who attend the University of Maine are away for spring break. Although classes for UMaine students are still in session during this year's election, the voting still falls on the week students are taking exams.
Student Kian Murray said he finds it interesting the town votes in March when people who live everywhere else typically vote in November. Murray is from Brunswick, but he said he plans to register to vote in the town soon.
"Student voters don't live here for 12 months out of the year, but for the most part they live here eight or nine," Murray said. "Since we do live in Orono, we should have a say in Orono."
Demeritt said he's hoping that after Tuesday's election, that will change.
"Having an election in March versus November is the difference between hundreds of people voting and thousands," Demeritt said.
According to Demeritt, 5,000-7,000 registered voters in Orono participate in November elections. That number dwindles to 500-800 when March elections come around. Demeritt said nearly half of the town's voters are college-aged.
To view the town's voter participation rates over the past 25 years, click here.
The way the local elections conflict with university students' schedules is concerning for Brendan Trachsel, the university's student engagement coordinator and co-overseer of UMaine's UVote club.
"Consolidating our elections to ensure that the days that we know that people are going to go to the polls that we get as much out of the way as possible for those people," Trachsel said. "Especially when it comes to UMaine students. "Our most recent presidential election... UMaine students voted 10 percent above the national average for college students in the presidential election. I think that's spectacular. That shows students are wanting to go out and vote. We just need to create the circumstances that are optimal."
Those who oppose the change like town council vice-chair Leo Kenney argue that students can participate in early voting at least 30 days before the election day.
Kenney was not available for interview, but he issued a statement explaining why he does not support the change:
"I think it’s great that Orono currently holds our National Elections on Campus as it allows students, many who are from out of state, the convenience of not having to request absentee ballots from their home state to participate. And we know it’s effective because we have between 5,000-7,000 voters participating in our November Elections.
Our local March elections typically have between 500-800 local and engaged voters participating. Orono also offers early voting in addition to absentee voting for a full 30 days leading up to the March elections which provides ample opportunity for all voters who wish to participate to cast their ballots without difficulty.
My concern with moving our local elections to November is that we will end up having several thousand voters who are from out of state, and understandably not engaged in our local school board and town council positions that may just arbitrarily fill in a circle on the ballot. This could essentially nullify the voice of the 500-800 locally engaged voters."
Trachsel said he believes if voting was made to be more convenient for college voters, they would show up to the polls in comparable ways that they show up for other elections.
"For someone like me, I'm always super excited to vote in any election when it's possible to get my word in," Trachsel said. "For a lot of people, they see it almost the same as doing their taxes, and no one wants to do their taxes more than once a year."
Voters can vote in person Tuesday, or they can cast an absentee ballot. For more information about the town's local elections Tuesday, click here.