BANGOR, Maine, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- It's technically not winter yet, but it looks more like January than November in much of the state of Maine. Thousands in the Pine Tree State are still without power, two days after a fall snowstorm dropped 10 to 12 inches across much of the state. It was a record-early double digit snowfall for places like Bangor and Caribou.
Trees were down across much of central Maine, as the canopies of trees still heavy with foliage became overwhelmed with snow. Heavy winds, including 40 mph gusts, made matters worse. Northern portions of the state saw the most accumulation, with the village of Cary in Aroostook County, near the Canadian border, buried with nearly two feet of snow.
"The heavy snow and strong winds knocked out power to more than 80 percent of the homes and businesses in some counties along the mid-coast," Gail Rice, a spokesperson for one of the state's largest power providers, Central Maine Power, said in a statement released Monday. "The severity of the damage and icy roads are adding to the difficulties facing crews in those areas."
On Election Day, Tuesday, power companies -- including CMP, Emera and others -- were still working to repair thousands of power outages. Many polling places opened without power, and five were relocated.
Aerial photo of huge pines lying on top of downed transmission lines. Crews remain on the job working to restore. pic.twitter.com/SK4447CWFu
— Emera Maine (@emerame) November 3, 2014But officials said that polling would continue as planned.
"As long as people can mark their ballots by 8 p.m. on Election Day, their vote will be counted," Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap said. "Any adjustments that need to be made will be made public as broadly as we can."
Dunlap told the Bangor Daily News he thinks Maine's citizens will still be highly motivated to get out and cast their ballots. Winter storms can sometimes suppress turnout for presidential elections, but state and local elections have proven mostly immune to inclement conditions in the past.
"Voters don't need an awful lot of an excuse sometimes to stay home if they don't know the candidates and the issues," Dunlap said. "This year, I don't think there's any risk of that because these are very high-profile issues and very high-profile candidates."
