Town clerks to receive Primary Day ballots by May 13

By Ed Pierce

Let the lawn sign and bumper sticker proliferation begin as candidates from Windham and Raymond are jockeying for voter support in the upcoming Maine Primary Day Election on June 14. 

According to Linda Morrell, Windham Town Clerk, the state will be sending out ballots for municipal voting by the end of next week and that will include the slate of primary candidates who were able to gather enough signatures to appear on the printed primary ballots.

Morrell said that Windham’s ballot will also include an item for voters to approve or reject the RSU 14 annual school budget, which will be finalized during a school board meeting on May 18. She said another ballot item for Windham voters is approving or rejecting the proposed sewer project for North Windham.

“Voting will from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 14 at the Windham High School's Auxiliary Gym,” Morrell said.

To participate in the primary elections, a person must be registered to vote, Morrell said.

Voters may cast an absentee ballot instead of voting in person. Once primary ballots are received and reviewed in Windham, absentee ballots may be requested in writing, by phone, online or in person up to the Thursday before Election Day, without specifying a reason.

To request an absentee ballot in Windham, call 207-892-1900.

Windham candidates to appear on the Primary Day ballot are:

State Senate District 26

Gary Plummer (Republican)
Timothy Nangle (Democrat)

State Representative District 106
Tom Tyler (Republican)
Barbara Bagshaw (Republican)
Jonathan Priest (Democrat)

The winner of the Tyler and Bagshaw primary race will advance to the General Election in November, all other candidates without opposition will be placed on the General Election ballot for November.

State Representative District 107
Paul Fullam (Democrat)
Michael Hall (Republican)

Raymond Town Clerk Sue Look said that the Annual Raymond Town Meeting Warrant will be voted on by secret ballot by voters on primary Day June 14 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Jordan-Small Middle School gymnasium.

According to Look, there are 15 Town Warrant items on this year’s ballot and most of them are regarding the town budget and taxation rate for the coming year.

She said that the RSU 14 school budget will also be voted upon by Raymond voters on Primary Day.

Raymond candidates appearing on the Primary Day ballot are:

State Representative District 86
Jessica Fay (Democrat)
Karen Lockwood (Republican)
Greg Foster (Republican)

The winner of the Lockwood versus Foster primary race will advance to the General Election in November.

Raymond Select Board (two seats for three-year terms)
Rolf Olsen
Teresa Sadak

Raymond Budget-Finance Committee (three seats for three-year terms)
Deanna Lee
Karen Lockwood

RSU 14 Board of Directors (one seat for a three-year term)
Charlotte Jewell

RSU 14 Board of Directors (one seat for a one-year term)
Jodi Carroll

Look said that since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, voter turnouts have been larger than previous similar elections. She said primary voting usually is sparse unless there is a hotly contested race or a hot topic referendum question.

“Given that, I expect to be busy this primary, but I do not know how big the turnout will be,” Look said.

Absentee ballots in Raymond are available by visiting https://apps.web.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/AbsenteeBallot/index.pl <