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Huge Turnout Transforms Some Maine Caucus Locations Into Primaries

By Reno Berkeley
Published on: 12:00 PST, Mar 6, 2016

The turnout for the Maine caucuses was so high on Sunday that some locations decided to hand out ballots instead. Other locations in the state have dealt with the unprecedented turnout by eliminating the pre-caucus speeches where voters can tell others why they support a particular candidate.

On Reddit’s r/SandersForPresident subreddit, caucus goers are reporting hours-long waits to get into their locations, while some are reporting precinct workers attempting to turn away voters due to the high numbers.

One user posted a thread stating that the line was so long at Deering High School in Portland, people were getting tired and leaving. In the same thread, u/curiously_Altoids described a two hour wait to get inside the caucus location, with some people being told they couldn’t vote.

“People who got there at 11:30 did not get inside until after 1:00 and were being told (INCORRECTLY) that it was too late. We got officials involved and then at 2:00 some lady (not sure who she was) made a speech to let EVERYONE KNOW that if you’re not registered and were in line…by 1:00 you can vote. If you are registered and in line by 2:00 you can vote.”

He also wrote that the caucus was eliminated completely and workers allowed people to vote just like a primary.

Most of the issues pertaining to access to caucus locations occurred in Maine’s metropolitan areas, namely Portland. Several Twitter users reported extremely long lines, some as long as one-half mile. Maine voters also reported mass confusion and illegal campaigning at some sites.

In Brunswick, which Bernie is reported to have won, check-in volunteers were distributing Hillary Clinton materials. After the activity was reported, the materials were taken away, and the voting went on as usual. Many of those standing in line were Bernie Sanders supporters.

Twitter user @Yusra posted a ten-second video of a Portland city clerk refusing to allow a group of voters to register, which is illegal. In Maine, caucus goers are permitted to register on the same day they vote so long as they are not registered or undeclared. Republicans and Green Party voters had a deadline of February 19 to register as Democrats in order to vote.

https://twitter.com/xblindbandit/status/706612302322262016

Others are reporting that Portland workers are having people verbally declare that they are Democrats prior to caucusing or voting and then confirming their veracity on Monday.

WCSH 6 is reporting that due to the high turnout, Maine state senator Justin Alford of Portland plans to introduce a bill calling for the elimination of the Maine caucus in favor of primaries. Twitter users who saw the announcement generally favor the proposal, as spending a half day to vote can be construed as a form of voter suppression.

Despite the incredible numbers, national media outlets have largely ignored the Maine caucuses, instead choosing to focus on Sunday’s debate. On CNN.com, the front page mentions only the caucus, with Republican Marco Rubio’s win in Puerto Rico and the Democratic debate tonight getting more attention. Nothing regarding the large lines and historic turnout in Maine is to be found on the site as of this writing.

In fact, when entering the search term “Maine caucus” in CNN’s search box, the site shows the most recent story regarding the Maine caucuses was published on March 3.

Chris Cousins with the Bangor Daily News tweeted an unusual practice occurring in Brunswick. Apparently, paper ballots with just Clinton and Sanders’ names on a blank piece of paper with boxes next to the names.

While official caucus results are still hours away, preliminary reports coming in from Maine are showing a decisive Sanders win. CNN has said it will report on the final results after 8pm EST.

[Photo: Scott Olson/Getty]

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