Berwick's Election Results Released After Delays; School Budget Passes by Narrow Margin

BERWICK, ME. — After a late-night scramble to tally ballots, Berwick voters finally saw their local election results confirmed Wednesday evening, following a series of delays that kept the final counts from appearing earlier in the day.

The municipality's official results came online just before midnight, revealing outcomes for the town's school and select board races as well as the fate of the Noble School District budget. While most Maine municipalities had already submitted their primary and municipal election returns by Tuesday, Berwick's results remained pending until approximately 5 p.m., when the school and select board contests were officially announced.

The county's largest town by population played a decisive role in the noble school budget debate. In a tight contest, Berwick voters backed the proposed $52.3 million plan with 981 votes to opposition support, narrowly defeating North Berwick's approval of 791 to 599. Lebanon, however, rejected the measure 675 to 573. The margin between passing and failing in Berwick stood at 90 votes—a razor-thin difference that underscored the close nature of the decision.

Beyond the budget battle, all three towns—Berwick, North Berwick, and Lebanon—also approved a separate school renovation bond.

The select board race produced a closely contested result. Newcomer Lisa Huestis emerged ahead of incumbent Lisa Chase, securing 698 votes compared to her opponent's 680. Meanwhile, the school board election saw incumbent Margaret Wheeler defeat newcomer Mathew Roy with 820 votes to his 748.

The extended counting period stemmed from several factors identified by election officials. According to Noble School Board Chair Kathleen Stanton-Whalen, confusion arose because two ballot collection machines were present at Town Hall on Tuesday—one for local ballots and one for state ballots. Some voters became uncertain about which device corresponded to their choice, prompting many to deposit their nine-page ballots into an auxiliary box designated for confused voters.

Stanton-Whalen noted that the delay was primarily driven by high voter turnout, which overwhelmed the available staffing. With fewer election workers than required to process every ballot before the deadline, officials relied on the auxiliary system to accommodate voters who preferred to wait for tabulation rather than risk placing their ballots in the wrong machine.

The situation was compounded by the recent appointment of Robin Patterson as Berwick's new town clerk, who had only assumed office in April. The town website attributed part of the confusion to potential miscommunications involving the newly hired clerk.

"We had high voter turnout," Stanton-Whalen stated during the briefing. "There weren't enough election workers to count the remaining ballots placed in the auxiliary box before the end of the night."

The counting operation itself was livestreamed on Berwick's YouTube channel, allowing residents to watch the process unfold in real time. Social media platforms buzzed with questions about the status of the results, with some voters expressing frustration over the lack of transparency during the chaotic final hours.

For the Noble School District, the budget passed by a modest margin of 53 percent to 47 percent. The approval reflected strong community backing for the proposed funding, though the narrow victory highlighted ongoing debates about educational priorities across the region.

As the county moves forward with these decisions, Berwick voters will now focus on implementing the approved budget and supporting the selected leadership changes. The successful completion of the count marks the conclusion of a busy election cycle that tested the county's electoral infrastructure under unprecedented pressure.