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BY JOEL ELLIOTT

Staff Writer

While Maine's secretary of state predicts higher-than-average voter participation in today's elections, town clerks scattered across central Maine say fewer absentee voters may indicate otherwise.

"I'm thinking around 30 to 35 percent," which would be about 50 percent higher than usual for primary elections, Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap on Monday told The Associated Press.

Maine has no presidential primaries, but heavy participation at the presidential preference caucuses in February underscores Mainers' strong interest in politics this year, Dunlap said.

Town clerks in Waterville, Augusta, Monmouth, Windsor and Clinton said the low number of absentee voters could mean that today's elections will attract an average or lower-than-average number of voters, but most were reluctant to make specific predictions.

"I have no idea; I'm not good at (forecasting voter turnout)," Windsor Town Clerk Sarah Cunningham said. "I have about 40 absentee ballots, and last year I had about double that."

Cunningham said local elections for municipal officers may provide one of the biggest draws at the polls.

The Clinton Town Office also had issued less than half the number of absentee ballots as it had in the last election, according to Town Clerk Pam Violette.

Monmouth didn't show quite as radical of a decline, although by late afternoon the number of absentee ballots that had gone out was roughly 70 percent of last year's number, according to Deputy Clerk Carol Ivey.

Augusta City Clerk Barbara Wardwell said if she went by the numbers alone, she would predict a lower voter turnout. However, she said political mobilization from both Democrats and Republicans will probably boost voter participation to a level on par with previous years.

"Over the weekend there was a lot of publicity from the different parties," Wardwell said. "So it's been getting a few more people out than were out there originally."

Wardwell said most of the absentee ballots she is sending out are for Democrats.

In Waterville it was a similar story.

"I don't think it's going to be a heavy turnout," Waterville City Clerk Arlene Strayhan said. "The fact that it's a presidential year I think will affect it somewhat, but I still don't think it's going to be a huge voter turnout."

Of those interviewed, the Pittsfield Town Office had the only dissenting voice.

"People are a lot more informed and educated because there is so much going on this year and so many different candidates," Pittsfield Town Clerk Nicole Nickolan said. "This year I've had a lot of people making small talk to me about it."

Nickolan also pointed to levels of participation in Maine's Democratic caucus in which voters chose Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., over Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., as an indication of increased political engagement. A local school consolidation question involving School Administrative Districts 53 (Pittsfield, Burnham and Detroit) and 59 (Madison, Athens, Starks) could also be a big regional draw.

Maine's secretary of state has a similar take on the matter.

"People are thinking about voting because it's a presidential election year," Dunlap told The Associated Press. "And we don't have to struggle with (encouraging voter turnout) this year." Dunlap said other factors are at work as well to bring out voters, including a U.S. Senate primary, contested primaries in the 1st Congressional District, legislative primaries in two dozen districts across the state, and local issues, especially school budget votes. Pre-election activity was heavy in the 1st Congressional District, where six Democrats and two Republicans are vying for their respective parties' nominations for the seat being vacated by Rep. Tom Allen, D-1st District. The six-term Democratic congressman is favored to beat politically untested Tom Ledue for their party's nod to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in November.

The U.S. House candidates hit the streets all over the 1st District. On Monday morning, Democrat Ethan Strimling and Republican Charles Summers and their supporters waved to motorists on opposite approaches to the Casco Bay Bridge in South Portland and Portland. Chellie Pingree's campaign schedule took her to the Augusta, Hallowell and Winthrop areas, while Adam Cote concentrated on meeting voters in the Biddeford-Saco area.

"It's all about reminding people to vote on Tuesday," Cote said.

As he headed to Portland's busy Exchange Street to shake hands and hand out campaign literature, Michael Brennan said a series of attacks and counter attacks between some of the other candidates would help his cause.

"We definitely believe momentum is going our way. I still feel we're very competitive in this race," Brennan said.

Mark Lawrence made phone calls to voters and scheduled an afternoon shift-change stop at the Bath Iron Works gates. Also in the race is Stephen Meister. In the Republican 1st District primary, Summers faces political newcomer Dean Scontras. Also on primary ballots around the state will be six contests among Democrats for state Senate and 18 House primaries, 10 of them featuring Democrats and the other eight matching up Republican nomination rivals.

Appearing on the statewide ballot will be a bond issue question, seeking authorization of $29.7 million in long-term borrowing for natural resource, agricultural and transportation projects. They range from landfill cleanups and dam repairs to highway and bridge improvements.

Voters and election workers won't be the only ones at the polls today.

Campaigns for two people's-veto campaigns -- dealing with Real ID license restrictions and new taxes to pay for Dirigo Health -- plan to set up tables to collect voters' signatures at the polls. Both are facing July 17 deadlines to collect at least 55,087 signatures needed to get their proposals on the November ballot. Considering the early deadline both face, they are expected to be at as many polling places as possible today to move their campaigns forward, election officials said.

One of the campaigns seeks to repeal taxes on beer, wine and soda, and new surcharges on paid claims insurers must pay, to fund the state-sponsored Dirigo Health insurance program. The other seeks to repeal a new law to bolster security of Maine's drivers licenses to bring the state into closer compliance with the federal Real ID Act.

Also gathering signatures will be a citizen's initiative campaign to repeal Maine's law protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination and reaffirming the law that now prohibits marriage by persons of the same sex. That campaign does not face such tight deadlines to collect signatures because its question cannot go on the ballot before November 2009.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.