AUBURN — The 13-way race for the Androscoggin County Charter Commission began shrinking Tuesday night as returns came in.

As of midnight, two members were certain: Richard Grandmaison and former County Commissioner Helen Poulin. Both are from Lewiston, which constitutes its own district.

Grandmaison earned 4,090 votes and Poulin earned 4,519 votes. They defeated three other candidates: Stavros Mendros with 3,028, Michael Marcotte with 3,762 and Christopher Ruston with 1,626.

In the county’s second district, James Bradley of Mechanic Falls and Charles “Chip” Morrison of Auburn were leading with two Auburn wards left to report.

Bradley had 3,351 votes. Morrison had 3,236. Robert Mennealy of Auburn had 2,796. George Sanborn of Poland had 3,198 and James Walker of Auburn had 2,639.

In the third district, there were too few results to call the race. Nine of the county’s 14 towns had released their election results at press time.

The Charter Commission will be charged with coming up with a kind of constitution for the county, creating a list of proposed rules and possibly changing the makeup of its leadership.

“These people will be like the founding fathers for a new county government,” said Randy Greenwood, chairman of the commission.

 In 1990, Androscoggin County voters elected a charter commission but failed to pass its proposals.

Among the asked-for changes were an expansion of the charter commission from three to seven members, the appointment of an administrator and the appointment instead of election of top officers, including the county treasurer and the registers of probate and deeds.

Besides the six elected candidates, a member of the county commission will serve on the charter commission. The commission will also appoint two others to serve, bringing the total number of charter commission members to nine.

Calls for a charter hit a peak in 2008 when Poulin, then serving as a county commissioner, moved from her elected district in Lewiston to a home in Auburn, in another district.

She fought to stay in office. Interpretations of state law came from her attorney and the Maine attorney general. The case ended after Gov. John Baldacci appointed a replacement.

A charter rule might have saved time and legal costs on both sides.

Livermore Falls Town Manager James Chaousis registered with the state as a write-in candidate, but he then asked that people vote for other candidates because he accepted a position as the town manager of Boothbay.