LEWISTON — Election officials were not surprised Wednesday by the percentage of early and absentee ballots compared to the overall voter turnout, a pattern that was seen in cities statewide, and one that continues to play out across the country.

Lewiston Deputy City Clerk Kelly Brooks empties the official ballot drop box outside City Hall on Oct. 24. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

In total, 12,351, or 70%, of the 17,562 ballots cast in Lewiston were absentee or early votes. City Clerk Kathy Montejo said it’s the same percentage as the July state primary election.

She said Wednesday that election staff assumed the breakdown “would be within the same ballpark,” and that a recent uptick in COVID-19 cases in the state could have inspired more absentee and early voting. But, she said, staff estimated there might be “a little more” in-person turnout.

And while the numbers of early and absentee voting have largely had a Democratic lean — which certainly showed in Maine — Montejo said Lewiston also conducted a “strategic, organized” advertising campaign to inform voters of their voting options leading up to the election.

That showed in early voting, beginning at City Hall on Oct. 5, which yielded roughly 1,000 voters per week, with numbers increasing in the final days.

Montejo said the numbers made a difference on Election Day, minimizing foot traffic at the polls, and helping the city avoid long lines.

“It’s exactly what we were hoping would happen,” she said.

The partisan breakdown in absentee votes was apparent. In Lewiston, 7,941 of the 9,578 votes for Biden were early or absentee, compared to 3,910 of 7,206 for Trump.

Auburn saw a similar breakdown, with 8,451 of 12,414 total votes cast absentee. Biden received 5,195 of 6,471 votes in Auburn via early or absentee ballots, compared to 2,915 of 5,406 for Trump.

Amy Fried, professor of political science at the University of Maine, said Wednesday that the ratios seen in Maine are in line with other areas, mostly caused by COVID-19 concerns.

“Due to the pandemic, Democratic candidates prioritized voting by mail,” she said. “As issues arose with delivery delays in the U.S. Postal Service, later advice from Democrats to their supporters stressed the option to vote early. Thus, while Lewiston’s early and mail numbers are quite high, they are consistent with a broader pattern.”

In Portland, absentee ballots accounted for 31,037 of 41,396 ballots. There, the partisan split was more extreme, with 27,064 of 33,784 votes for Biden coming early or absentee. In comparison, about half of Trump’s 6,483 votes came absentee.

In Augusta, 6,624 of 9,855 ballots were cast early or absentee. For Biden, 4,287 of 5,248 votes were absentee, while for Trump, it was 2,080 of 4,155.

Montejo in Lewiston said direction from the Maine Secretary of State’s office to clerk’s offices across the state likely helped public information campaigns around early voting, but said there’s no way of quantifying it.

“I hope it made a difference,” she said, regarding the advertising. “A lot of it was things the city has never done before. We hope it paid off. We just wanted to inform voters of the options.”