BAR HARBOR, Maine — Ballots cast by Bar Harbor voters during the November election were counted again, by hand, Saturday morning after the initial results to reject a move that would have allowed more cruise ship passengers to come ashore per day were determined by a handful of votes.
In a close decision, Bar Harbor residents voted to maintain the town's current limit of 1,000 cruise ship passengers that can come ashore per day.
A "yes" vote on Article 4 would have repealed the current limit and replaced it with a 3,200 daily passenger cap and monthly limit of 20,000 during peak season. On the first count, that measure was narrowly defeated by just 63 votes. That decision was upheld by the recount on Saturday.
Two people were appointed as official representatives on behalf of voters who were either for or against the recount, and both supervised the recount Saturday morning, appointing counters under the supervision of town clerk staff.
According to the town website, no payment was required because the difference between "yes" and "no" votes in the initial count was a margin smaller than 2 percent of total votes.
After a recount of 3,653 ballots, 1,714 residents voted yes, and 1,779 residents voted no. The recount upheld the decision by voters to reject increasing the number of disembarking cruise ship passengers permitted to come ashore per day.
