At the July 14, 2020 election, residents will cast their votes in the State Referendum Election and the Municipal Referendum Election, which includes the School Budget Validation Referendum Election and a School Bond. Voters who are registered in either the Democrat or Republican Party will also receive a candidate ballot for their party’s State Primary Election.
Voting at the Polls
All voting on Election Day will take place at the Biddeford High School Tiger Gym, located on Maplewood Avenue. The poll will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Parking is available in the large parking lot across the street from the Tiger Gym, as well as some limited “Voter Parking” right on Maplewood Avenue. Disability Parking is located in the parking lot adjacent to the Tiger Gym and is accessible via the Main Street entrance. Signs for parking will be posted on Election Day.
Please take note of the following restrictions that will be in place at the poll for the health and safety of Biddeford voters and ward workers:
- A maximum of 25 voters will be allowed in the polling place at a time.
- Voters are highly encouraged to wear masks/face coverings.
- While waiting in line, voters will need to maintain a 6-foot distance from others.
- Once their ballots have been cast, voters are asked to promptly leave the polling place. Any congregating with other voters should be done outside.
Absentee Ballots
This year, due to the current public health crisis, the City Clerk’s Office is encouraging all Biddeford voters to consider requesting absentee ballots for the July 14, 2020 election. This will help to protect our dedicated ward workers who will be at the polls on Election Day as well as other voters.
You may request an absentee ballot by calling the City Clerk’s Office (207-284-9307), requesting a ballot in person in the Clerk’s Office at City Hall (205 Main Street), or by visiting this website to request an absentee ballot electronically.
Absentee ballots must be returned by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
Watch City Clerk Carmen Morris explain more about Biddeford’s absentee voting process in the video below.
What’s on the Ballot?
All voters will receive a Municipal Referendum Ballot and a State Referendum Ballot.
Municipal Referendum
The Municipal Referendum ballot includes the School Budget Validation Referendum and a School Bond.
Referendum Question 1
This question asks voters to approve a bond for health, safety, and compliance repairs at Biddeford School Department facilities. If the bond is approved, the total amount of funding that the School Department will borrow will total $844,439, with $392,326 of that total to be forgiven. The remaining $452,113 will be repaid at 0% interest in five equal annual installments. The projects that would be funded through this bond are:
Biddeford Primary School ADA/Security: $442,342
Biddeford Intermediate School Security: $75,596
Biddeford Regional Center of Technology ADA/Security: $326,501
The project impact of this project on the mil rate is $0.037.
A "yes" vote will authorize the bond, and a "no" vote will reject the bond.
Referendum Question 2
This question asks voters to approve the budget for the Biddeford School Department. The City Council voted on May 19 to approve the school budget for Fiscal Year 2021. Of the total $39.9 million budget, $23.2 million will be funded via property taxes. This is less than a 1% increase from the previous year’s budget. Detailed information about the budget can be found on the Biddeford School Department website.
A "yes" vote will approve the budget. A "no" vote will reject the budget, requiring adjustments to be made.
State Referendum
The State Referendum ballot asks voters to approve two bonds. The first is a $15 million bond to invest in high-speed internet infrastructure for unserved and underserved areas in the state, which would be used to match $30,000,000 in federal, private, local or other funds. The second bond is $105,000,000 for improvements to transportation infrastructure throughout the state to match an estimated $275,000,000 in federal and other funds. For each question, a "yes" vote approves the bond, and a "no" vote rejects the bond.
Party Primary
Voters who are registered in either the Democratic or Republican Party will also receive a candidate ballot for their party’s State Primary Election. Voters will cast their vote for their party’s candidates for U.S. Senator, Representative to Congress, State Senator, Representative to the Legislature, and Judge of Probate.
Sample Ballots are available for review on our website. You can also check which State Representative District you are in by finding your address in this document.