Town of Scarborough Voter Guide

April Sither of the Scarborough Town Council shares the many ways that Scarborough residents can vote in the November 7, 2023 election. Click Here to view.

Election Day is less than three weeks away. Are you ready to vote? Follow this simple guide to make a voting plan, including when and where you'll vote, what's on the ballot, and more.

If you've voted in a Scarborough election before, you are still registered. However, if you have had a name change or an address change within Scarborough, we ask that you update your information prior to voting.

Voter registration is available at Town Hall on or before Election Day for new voters or for existing Scarborough voters to change their address or name. The “closed period”, 21 days prior to the Election, started Wednesday, October 18. This means that residents who register to vote must do so in person in the Town Clerk's Office. When registering to vote, please be sure to bring a Government issued ID and something with your Scarborough address, if your ID does not have it.

Choose how you'll vote:

Early by Absentee Ballot

Request your absentee ballot by November 2. Any voter requesting an Absentee Ballot on Friday, November 3 and Monday, November 6 must complete a Special Circumstances Application.

Drop off your completed ballot anytime in our secure Drop Box outside of the Town Hall entrance. Or, drop it off inside in the Clerk's office during business hours.

Early In-Person

Vote at Town Hall, Monday through Thursdays from 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., through Thursday, November 2.

In-Person on Election Day

Voting will take place at the Scarborough High School, located at 11 Municipal Drive from 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 7.

There are 2 ballots: 1 Municipal General/Referendum Election ballot and 1 State Referendum Election. The State ballot is two-sided, so be sure to double check when voting that you have voted on both sides of the ballots. Review the sample ballots on our Town Clerk webpage for a look at the candidates and referendum questions ahead of time.

Municipal General/Referendum

Elected Officials

One ballot will be for electing candidates for the Town Council, Sanitary District, and Portland Water District. The candidates are:

Town Council (3 Seats)

Anderson, Jonathan E.

Caterina, Jean-Marie

Cushing, Jr., Donald W.

Doherty, Scott W.

Sanitary District Trustees (3 Seats)

Greenleaf, Jason A.

McDougal, Benjamin T.

Summers, Ruth A.

Portland Water District Trustee (1 Seat)

Crockett, Leroy P.

Pellenz, Nicole M.

Candidates Night was held on October 12 to learn more about the candidates. Watch here.

There are also lines for write-in candidates.

School Building Project Referendum

The K-8 Strategic School Project is Question 1 on the ballot. Approval would authorize the issuance of up to $160,000,000 in general obligation bonds of the Town to provide funds for the purchase of land, off-site improvements and to construct and equip a new Unified K-3 Primary School and renovations to the Middle School to execute the K-8 Strategic Facilities Project.

According to the School Building Steering Committee, the project is "a holistic strategic solution for Scarborough K-8 schools to solve facilities inadequacies and inefficiencies by reorganizing grade levels, aligning our student populations, and building a new consolidated primary school that addresses educational equity, operational efficiency, population growth, flexibility, safety & security, and 21st century learning and teaching methods."

The Scarborough School Department has project information on their website, including Q&As, meeting recordings, and presentations: www.ScarboroughSchoolSolution.org/start-here

In this video, Lisa Sawin, the lead architect for the project, walks through the concept plans and design of the new school.

Jon Anderson has been on the Scarborough Town Council since November 2020. He moved to Scarborough in 2017 from the Washington DC area and has a wife and two kids. During his time on council he has supported communications, finance, and transportation initiatives. He also served on the Library Board of Trustees, Ad Hoc Downtown committee, Recreation Advisory Board, and is the current chair of Town Council. He has a B.A. from the University of Virginia and MBA from the University of Maryland. He currently works in global medical operations for an animal diagnostics company.

Jean-Marie Caterina has served on the Town Council since November 2013 and is seeking reelection for her third and final term. She serves on the council to give back to her community and to work for the benefit of the majority of people in town. Jean-Marie is the owner/broker of Caterina MacLean Group / North Star Realty in town. During her time on council she has been chair of the Rules & Policies committee and Firing Range committee, and a past Town Council vice chair. She has a long career of public service, along with a B.A. in Political Science from University of Maine and MSW in Social Welfare Administration from Boston College.

Don Cushing is a 38-year resident of Scarborough and longtime executive in the healthcare industry. He is currently the founder/president of Cushing Leadership Strategies and former CEO of Vision Care of Maine in Bangor and Martin's Point in Portland. He has a B.A. in the School of Education from Boston College as well as a degree in educational psychology.

Scott Doherty is a 1982 graduate of Scarborough High School and lifelong resident of Scarborough. He is a lobsterman and married with three kids. Scott also ran in 2008 as a write-in candidate.

The school building steering committee is conducting weekly Q&A sessions for residents to learn more about the project prior to voting.

Read the full details on the sample ballot

State Referendum Ballot

There are a number of citizens' initiatives and a few constitutional amendments on the State ballot.

Question 1: Citizen Initiative

Do you want to bar some quasi-governmental entities and all consumer-owned electric utilities from taking on more than $1 billion in debt unless they get statewide voter approval?

Question 2: Citizen Initiative

Do you want to ban foreign governments and entities that they own, control, or influence from making campaign contributions or financing communications for or against candidates or ballot questions?

Question 3: Citizen Initiative

Do you want to create a new power company governed by an elected board to acquire and operate existing for-profit electricity transmission and distribution facilities in Maine?

Question 4: Citizen Initiative

Do you want to require vehicle manufacturers to standardize on-board diagnostic systems and provide remote access to those systems and mechanical data to owners and independent repair facilities?

Question 5: Constitutional Amendment

Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to change the time period for judicial review of the validity of written petitions from within 100 days from the date of filing to within 100 business days from the date of filing of a written petition in the office of the Secretary of State, with an exception for petitions filed within 30 calendar days before or after a general election?

Question 6: Constitutional Amendment

Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to require that all of the provisions of the Constitution be included in the official printed copies of the Constitution prepared by the Secretary of State?

Question 7: Constitutional Amendment

Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to remove a provision requiring a circulator of a citizen's initiative or people's veto petition to be a resident of Maine and a registered voter in Maine, requirements that have been ruled unconstitutional in federal court?

Question 8: Constitutional Amendment

Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to remove a provision prohibiting a person under guardianship for reasons of mental illness from voting for Governor, Senators and Representatives, which the United States District Court for the District of Maine found violates the United States Constitution and federal law?

View a Maine Citizen's Guide to the Referendum Election, provided by the State of Maine

You're ready to vote! If you're voting by absentee ballot, Click Here to track the status of your ballot. Next up, encourage your friends and family to vote. Be sure to stay informed on election results— your voice matters.

For further information on absentee voting and voter registration, please contact the Scarborough Town Clerk's Office at 730-4020.