Berwick election results released after daylong delay

 Voters lined up outside Berwick Town Hall in 2020. (Bob Keyes/Staff Photographer) [](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/election-2026/) _[Read all of our coverage](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/election-2026/) of Maine's 2026 election or stay up to date with the latest developments through the [Maine Political Report](https://www.pressherald.com/mprnewsletter/) in your inbox or [text messages](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/01/11/maine-political-news-sent-right-to-your-phone-sign-up-for-text-alerts-from-our-editor/) from politics editor Kirby Wilson._ Berwick released its local election results Wednesday evening after delays that forced election workers to manually count ballots all day inside a room at Berwick Town Hall. By midday Wednesday, most Maine municipalities had reported their [results from Tuesday’s primary and municipal elections](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/09/catch-up-on-maine-statewide-and-local-election-results/). But while Berwick had reported its state results by the morning, the results of the town’s school and select board races — and how residents voted on the Noble school budget — were not announced until around 5 p.m. [](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/10/noble-school-district-budget-approved-board-member-reelected/) Related [Noble School District budget approved, board member reelected](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/10/noble-school-district-budget-approved-board-member-reelected/) Berwick, with the highest population in the district, ultimately determined the school budget’s passage by an overall total of 2,345 to 2,078, or about 53% to 47%. North Berwick voters had approved the $52.3 million proposal, 791 to 599, while Lebanon had rejected it, 675 to 573. That left a margin of 90 votes between passage and failure as Berwick’s results were counted. Eventually, the results showed that Berwick voters supported the budget 981 to 804. All three towns also passed a separate school renovation bond. Advertisement Results for the Berwick Select Board race and a town school board seat were released at about 6 p.m. Wednesday. In [the select board race](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/10/berwick-elects-incumbent-chase-newcomer-huestis-to-select-board/), voters chose two out of five candidates. Newcomer Lisa Huestis was the leading vote-getter with 698, followed by incumbent Lisa Chase, who received 680. Meanwhile, in [the school board race](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/10/noble-school-district-budget-approved-board-member-reelected/), incumbent Margaret Wheeler emerged victorious, receiving 820 votes to newcomer Mathew Roy’s 748. [](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/10/berwick-elects-incumbent-chase-newcomer-huestis-to-select-board/) Related [Berwick elects incumbent Chase, newcomer Huestis to select board](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/10/berwick-elects-incumbent-chase-newcomer-huestis-to-select-board/) **WHAT DELAYED THE COUNT?** Noble School Board Chair Kathleen Stanton-Whalen said there were two machines at Town Hall on Tuesday: one for local ballots and one for state ballots. But she said Wednesday that some voters were unsure which machine was which. Election officials designated a third spot for voters to leave their nine-page ballots — an auxiliary box that Stanton-Whalen said was designated for confused voters. It’s unclear how the confusion over the ballot machines arose, Stanton-Whalen said. She suggested there could have been a miscommunication involving Berwick’s new town clerk, Robin Patterson, who has only been in the position since April. Advertisement But the Berwick town website posted a statement Wednesday that said high voter turnout was responsible for the delay, and that there were not enough election workers to count the remaining ballots placed in the auxiliary box before the end of the night. The statement also said the delay stemmed from voters choosing to place their ballots in the box rather than waiting for the tabulators — not from confusion over where to put ballots. [](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/09/catch-up-on-maine-statewide-and-local-election-results/) Related [Catch up on Maine statewide and local election results](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/09/catch-up-on-maine-statewide-and-local-election-results/) Patterson, who led the counting process Wednesday, could not be reached for comment. Wednesday’s count was livestreamed on Berwick’s [YouTube page](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_32PJV6SY0). Some voters had taken to Facebook forums, asking where results were. “Where are we at MSAD60? Let’s hope they can count better than they run a school administration,” one wrote. Copy the Story Link Tagged: [election 2026](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/election-2026/), [noble knights](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/noble-knights/), [school budget](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/school-budget/) [](https://www.pressherald.com/author/isabelle-oss) [Isabelle OssStaff Writer](https://www.pressherald.com/author/isabelle-oss) Isabelle Oss is a community reporter covering Kittery, Berwick, North Berwick, South Berwick, York and Ogunquit. Born and raised in Colorado, she moved to Maine in April 2026. Isabelle holds a master’s. [More by Isabelle Oss](https://www.pressherald.com/author/isabelle-oss)