Maine Marijuana Legalization Vote Recount to Begin Monday
AUGUSTA, ME A formal recount of the results of Question 1,which legalizes marijuana in Maine, is set to begin Monday and will take four to six weeks and cost taxpayers up to half a million dollars, according to theSecretary of States Office.
Maine was one of four states where voters approved measures to legalize the adult, recreational use of marijuana on election day. Prohibitionist opponents of Qustion 1requested the recount after unofficial results showed the question passed by only 4,073 votes (381,692 to 377,619) a margin of less than 1 percent.
The recount will take place in the Florian Room at the Maine Department of Public Safety in Augusta, and will be open to the public. The recount could take four to six weeks to complete,according to state officials, costing up to $500,000 in staff time and overtime pay, as well as paying for the State Police to pick up the sealed ballot boxes from Maines 503 towns.
Supporters of Question 1 on Wednesday called for the recount efforts to be dropped by opponents. Opponents of a separate ballot question, Question 2, withdrew their request for a recount on Tuesday.
We respectfully ask the No on 1 Campaign to follow the lead of the No on 2 Campaign and withdraw their recount request, said David Boyer, Campaign Manager for the Yes on 1 Campaign. There is no evidence that a recount would change the result of Question 1. At the same time, $500,000 would be wasted on the process of recounting ballots. Thats half a million taxpayer dollars that should be spent on heating homes and funding schools.
Maine has never had a statewide recount of a ballot initiative that included every ballot, as those requesting the recounts have withdrawn their requests prior to the recounts being completed. The most recent statewide recount in Maine was 2010s Oxford Casino initiative, when the opposition campaign demanded a recount. The Yes campaign won the original vote by 4,723 votes, and after roughly 20% of the recount was complete, the margin of victory actually increased. Opponents withdrew the recount request after about 25% of the recount was complete ...
