By Renee Worthing
Staff Writer
Sanford’s $32.8 million school budget, approved at Town Meeting May 27, also passed a June 5 voter referendum on by a margin of more than 2 to 1, although turnout was extremely light.
The budget will become the budget for the 2008-2009 fiscal year.
Sanford Town Clerk Claire Morrison said 668 of Sanford’s 13,207 registered voters turned out at the polls to answer the only question on the ballot – “Do you favor approving the Sanford School Department Budget for the upcoming school year that was adopted at the latest Sanford Town Meeting and that includes locally raised funds that exceed the required local contributions as described in the Essential Program and Services Funding Act?”
When the polls closed at 8 p.m. the “yes” votes numbered 472 and “no” votes totaled 196.
With turnout at about 5 percent of registered voters, poll workers and wardens at all seven Sanford polling stations said the day was slow.
By 4 p.m. 66 ballots had been counted at Saint Ignatius Parish Hall [Ward 3], Warden Fred Boyle said.
At the YMCA [Ward 2], 45 ballots had slid into the ballot machine and at Goodall Library [Ward 6], 64 ballots were counted by 4:30 p.m.
Knights of Columbus, the polling site for Ward 7 poll worker Jackie Tranchemontagne said many of the voters were people who probably had children in school. Many of the “regular” voters she normally sees did not come to the polls, she said.
At Goodall Library, poll worker Faith Ballenger said she thought many people were confused about voting on Thursday rather than the traditional Tuesday. She said some people didn’t know about the school validation vote at all, but came in when they saw the “Vote Here” sign posted outside.
Poll workers at Curtis Lake Church [Ward 4] also reported a low turnout with 65 ballots counted by 4:30 p.m..
“People didn’t know about voting today,” Ward 4 poll worker Claire Sargent said. “They came in because they said they saw the sign outside.”
Ward 4 poll worker Doris Coluni said she saw retirees and teachers coming to the polls.
“The elderly are concerned about the money coming out the their pocket,” she said.
Sargent said the elderly voted because it was their “duty” and something they always do.
At the Sanford Fish and Game Club [Ward 5], 35 ballots were counted by 4:45 p.m.
“It’s dwindling,” poll worker Gloria Rooney said.
She said retirees voted in the morning, but there was a lull in voting until school let out.
“Now we are seeing teachers, bus drivers and people who have a vested interested,” she said.
Poll workers at the Springvale Library [Ward 1] logged 100 ballots by 5:30 p.m. An additional 17 ballots were counted by 8 p.m., making it the busiest of the polling stations.
 “Some of the people who always vote, didn’t vote today,” Warden Dick Ford said.
In accordance with the new school consolidation laws, Sanford presented the school budget to voters for approval.
Had the referendum failed, the budget would have returned to the school board and the finance committee for modification, voted on at a special Town Meeting and, if passed, presented to voters during a second referendum.