What’s on the November ballot in the Kennebunks?
Election volunteers George Bruns, left, and Carl Gatto unfold absentee ballots at Kennebunk Town Hall during June's primary election. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer)
Read all of our coverage of Maine's 2026 election or stay up to date with the latest developments through the Maine Political Report in your inbox or text messages from politics editor Kirby Wilson.
With no local races on the ballot in the Kennebunks, residents will step into the voting booth on Nov. 3 to approve referendum questions set forth by the towns’ select boards.
The referendums include two Kennebunkport questions on funding for Christmas Prelude, potential tightening of Kennebunk’s rules surrounding recalls of elected officials, and a proposed expansion of the Kennebunk Light and Power District’s debt limit.
Voters in both town will also elect a state senator and state representative.
Here’s what you need to know.
KENNEBUNK
Kennebunk residents will vote to on eight questions, which include amendments to the town charter and planning and zoning ordinances.
Article A would open the door for the Select Board to authorize funding for a public service. Currently, undesignated funds from the municipal operating budget may only be used if an emergency is declared. If the amendment is approved, the Select Board would be able to designate funds — from either the town’s surplus budget or unanticipated revenues — for a public need, as the board deems necessary.
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Article B, if approved, would require any article proposals from the budget board to be presented to the Select Board before heading to the ballot.
Article C is an amendment that would give the town manager an extra 30 days to submit their budget proposal to the budget board and Select Board.
Article D would amend the circumstances for recall of an elected official, imposing stricter requirements.
One proposed requirement would raise the number of valid signatures required to petition a recall from 25 registered voters to 50. The amendment would also change the guidance on what reasons qualify for attempting a recall.
Referendum article E would increase the debt limit for the Kennebunk Light and Power District from $6 million to $30 million. The last time the utility’s debt limit was raised was 2006, according to the district.
Approval of this article wouldn’t automatically authorize any funding but would instead give the utility the ability to request to borrow up to that limit. According to the KLPD, a five-year plan identified critical investments required to adequately maintain the electric system, so increased borrowing is anticipated.
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Article F would terminate a lease agreement the town has held on land beside Main Street to allow for a public walkway on privately owned property. Now, the town has since acquired adjacent property and established a public walkway between the Waterhouse Center and the public parking lot. Town Engineer Chris Osterrieder said that acquisition makes the lease agreement moot, and Article F is simply to finalize its termination.
Article G’s approval would allow the town to give the Neighborhood Housing Trust a portion of town-owned property to turn into affordable housing. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to providing affordable housing in Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel.
Trust Executive Director Larissa Crockett said in September, in an interview about another project, that the goal of the referendum was to establish a few affordable single-family homes off Factory Pasture Lane.
The final article, Article H, would amend the town’s zoning ordinance to allow residents in the Shoreland Zone to apply for preemptive alterations to their property to protect from future issues like weather events that could be worsened by climate change. Osterrieder said that change wouldn’t allow immediate changes but would open the door for property owners to apply.
KENNEBUNKPORT
Residents of Kennebunkport will decide on four referendum questions, two of which are based around town funding for Christmas Prelude.
The first two questions, however, are amendments to the town’s land use ordinance. Question 1 would, if approved, make conditional uses in each zone subject to review by the planning board or code enforcement officer. Currently, these conditional uses are subject to review by the Zoning Board of Appeals.
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A list of the conditional uses in question can be found on the town’s website.
Question 2 would divide home occupations under the zoning ordinance into two types: Type A and Type B. Type A covers normal residences, while Type B is a designation for home businesses that could generate vehicular traffic from patrons. Type A homes would fall under the jurisdiction of the code enforcement officer, while Type B residences would require planning board approval.
The last two questions relate to Prelude. Funding for the event has been at the epicenter of local discussions over the past year, ever since the discovery of an ordinance that indicated the town could not cover any municipal cost incurred by the event, even though it had been for years.
In June, the town held a nonbinding vote to gauge how residents felt about municipal funds going to the event and how much, if any, should be spent. A majority of voters supported at least some funding — 41% backed full funding, while another 22% preferred partial funding — so the Select Board agreed that the solution that had the highest chance of passing in November was covering half of the municipal cost.
Related
Kennebunkport Select Board finalizes proposal to resume funding of Christmas Prelude
Question 3 on the ballot is to amend the mass gathering ordinance to allow the town to fund a portion of the event, including the annual Dock Square tree lighting, Cape Porpoise tree lighting and one of the parades.
Question 4 is to approve $17,500 of town funds for this year’s Prelude.
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STATE RACES
Voters in both towns will elect a new state senator for District 34, which also includes Berwick, North Berwick and Wells. Residents will decide between Democrat Dan Sayre, currently serving as state representative for District 135, and Republican Jonathan Fallon.
Residents will also elect state representatives.
Those in House District 134 — encompassing Kennebunkport and the coastal portions of Kennebunk and Biddeford — will decide between three-term incumbent Democratic Rep. Traci Gere and Kennebunkport Select Board member Allen Daggett, an independent.
The voters of House District 135, covering the inland parts of Kennebunk, will decide between Kennebunk Select Board member Lisa Joy Pratt, a Democrat, and independent Scott Craig, a retired supply chain executive who unsuccessfully sought this seat in 2024.
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Tagged: election 2026, kennebunk select board, Kennebunkport selectmen
Abigail is a community reporter for Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Sanford, and Wells. She recently moved up to Maine from Connecticut after getting her bachelor’s degree in English/Journalism at the University. More by Abigail Driscoll
