Vote Recount of Maine’s Marijuana Legalization Initiative Begins

With Question 1 (unofficially) passing by a mere 0.27%, a recount of the ballots has been issued. Question 1 would allow adults to use marijuana recreationally. The process began today in Augusta. There are 760,000 ballots in total.

The winning margin was only 4,073 votes, according to New Hampshire Public Radio. If recounting every ballot cast is required, it could take weeks the Secretary of State Matt Dunlap claims. Dunlap estimates that a maximum of 25,000 ballots can be counted daily. The holidays will put a damper on the recounting, so official results are not expected until January at the earliest.

Dunlap said, “You would have to have not less than somewhere between four and eight votes that change in every town, and they all would have to change in your direction.”

Initiatives filed regarding legal recreational marijuana in Maine could become a priority if a court rules as such. New initiatives could also delay progress in the recount of Question 1 ballots.