Reorganization Vote Could Mean Overtime, Extra Ballot Machines.
Feb 23, 2026
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by The Witham Family Hotels Charitable Fund.
ACADIA REGION—At its February 17 meeting, the Trenton Select Board was asked to choose when to hold its town’s vote for the possible reorganization of AOS 91. The two choices would be the town’s annual town meeting, which is planned to occur on May 18, or the day requested by the MDIRSS Reorganization Planning Committee, June 9, which is the general election day with Maine primary elections.
During select board conversation, Trenton Town Administrator Carol Walsh said that she would need extra help with elections if it is held on June 9. Two of the select board members immediately volunteered to help on election day if the select board voted to hold that election of June 9.
It is not just Trenton that will need extra help on June 9, but all of the towns. The warrant article for the reorganization question, if not held at the towns’ annual town meeting, becomes a special town meeting. This means that any town holding the election on June 9 will have to have a moderator to open the special town meeting and the moderator or their assistant will have to be present for the entire election process to accommodate the reorganization vote on June 9.
It’s not just a moderator that is needed, but more election workers and potentially more hours paid by those towns that pay election workers. It also means extra pay for full-time town employees who normally work elections; some of this extra pay may be at overtime pay rates.
Additionally, there is the matter of counting votes. Most towns will have two machines on June 9, one for state primaries and one for town ballot items. Neither of these machines will be able to count the reorganization ballet question during open poll hours.
The alternatives for counting are to rent a third ballot machine, have someone reprogram one of the machines when it is done with the normal ballots after the polls have closed, or counting by hand after polls have closed.
None of these labor costs or the cost of potential renting an extra ballot counting machine were factored into the budget by towns for elections this year. Those budgets were set last year and are in effect currently.
A “no” vote by any of the five biggest towns in the AOS, Bar Harbor, Mount Desert, Southwest Harbor, Tremont, or Trenton, automatically kills the entire vote.
At its February 17 meeting, the Trenton Select Board did vote to hold the election on June 9. This was after a motion to hold it during Trenton’s Annual Town Meeting on May 18 failed.
A local town clerk said that at a meeting in regard to the reorganization planning committee’s preference of voting day, School Superintendent Mike Zboray said that the AOS may be able to assist towns with extra costs incurred. Taxpayers also pay the AOS budget through their property bills.
When asked by the Bar Harbor Story if the AOS would really be able to chip in for extra costs, Zboray responded, “Yes, I believe we can.”
SUPERINTENDENT ZBORAY EXPLAINS THE REASONS FOR THE REQUEST.
Zboray gave the following reasons as the rationales for asking towns to hold a special town election on the June 9 election day.
The “Falling Dominoes” Effect
“A school reorganization plan is usually an ‘all-or-nothing’ deal. If town A votes in March, town B in April, and town C in May, a no vote from town A could technically kill the whole plan before the other towns even get to the polls. For instance, the Cranberry Isles town meeting is in March, and that is too early to get information to them and provide the townspeople the time to get answers to their questions.
- Uniformity: Having everyone vote on the same day ensures that the decision is made as a collective unit.
- Momentum: It prevents a negative result in one town from unfairly influencing (or discouraging) the voters in the next town.
Legal Deadlines and “Operational Dates”
“School reorganization is tied to a strict fiscal calendar. New districts usually need to be ‘born’ on July 1 (the start of the fiscal year) to handle budgets, teacher contracts, and state subsidies correctly.
Fair Campaigning and “Election Integrity”
“If town A votes yes by a landslide on Monday, that news might influence the undecided voters in town B on Tuesday.
- Equal Access to Information: A single voting day ensures that everyone is voting based on the same set of facts at the same time, rather than reacting to how their neighbors voted.
- Prevents ‘Strategic Voting’: It stops people from changing their minds based on whether they think the merger is ‘already a sure thing’ or ‘already doomed’ based on early results.
Administrative Simplicity (Believe it or Not)
“While it seems harder to coordinate, it’s actually easier for the state’s Department of Education to track. The RPC selected June 9 because it is a primary year, so that all towns will hold an election on that day.
- When everyone votes on the same day, the results are certified at once.
- The ‘Warrant Article’ language is defined by statute to be identical in every town. That way, everyone understands what they are voting for and minimizes the possibilities of errors.”
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