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On November 2, 2015, the Bangor Daily News quoted Brain Duff, Ph.D., chair and associate professor in the Department of Political Science, in an article about Maine’s election turnout and its effect on the outcomes.

The article predicted that voters in the cities of Portland and Lewiston would have a significant impact on the outcome of the recent election for the state of Maine due to large voter turnout in those cities, the sites of two contentious mayoral races.

Duff speculated that Question 1, an election reform effort, in particular, might be influenced by the voter turnout in Maine’s two largest cities. The referendum question called for increased spending on publicly funded elections, added campaign disclosure provisions and provided stiffer penalties to Maine election law.

“Portland is a little more likely to have sympathy for the idea of public financing,” Duff stated. “Maybe it’s just a little more of a push in a place like Lewiston.”