County Democrats See Huge Increase in Turnout Despite Pandemic

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Autumn Mahoney, info@lincolncountydemocrats.com

DAMARISCOTTA, ME, July 17, 2020 – One of the goals of the Lincoln County Democratic Committee (LCDC) for the July 14 primary was to make sure Democratic voters’ voices were heard, while staying safe from the danger of COVID-19.

Our volunteers reached out to voters in many different ways,” explained LCDC campaign coordinator Barb Burt, “even hand painting lawn signs urging voters to vote absentee. Their work paid off. More Lincoln County Democrats voted absentee in this primary than the total number of Democratic voters in the 2018 primary.

It was important for voters to weigh in, with several races featuring multiple candidates. In House District 87, Christopher Hamilton attributed his win over Wayne Farrin to his efforts to call every single Democratic voter in the district (Jefferson, Whitefield, Chelsea, and part of Nobleboro).

Lydia Crafts leads a three-way primary against Wendy Pieh and David Levesque to represent House District 90 (Bremen, Bristol, Damariscotta, Newcastle, parts of Nobleboro and South Bristol, Louds Island, and Monhegan Island). At present, it looks as though the race will go to a second round of ranked choice vote counting.

I completed this primary race with 49.95% of the votes in our district,” explained Crafts. “I believe in ranked choice voting (RCV) and love the idea of leaders working for more than 50% support.

LCDC Chair Chris Johnson was pleased with all the candidates fielded by the Democrats in this primary.

We had a surplus of qualified candidates,” he said. “Democratic voters had great choices up and down the ballot. Every candidate worked hard to turn out their supporters.

There was also a three-way primary for the candidate for U.S. Senate. Lincoln County was similar to the state as a whole in endorsing Sara Gideon for that race.

As the campaign now moves to the next phase, campaign coordinator Burt is working with volunteers and candidates to find new ways to reach out to voters.

We want everyone to stay safe, while still having the opportunity to connect with candidates. We have lots of great ideas,” she added, “stay tuned!

People interested in volunteering with the LCDC can sign up or learn more on the website, https://LincolnCountyDemocrats.com.

ABOUT THE LINCOLN COUNTY DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE

The Lincoln County Democratic Committee (LCDC) promotes the ideals, principles, and philosophy we share as Democrats. The nomination and election of candidates who advocate these ideals and principles ensure an effective, democratic government of and for all the people.