Maine Supreme Court orders Clifton to count two uncounted ballots in selectboard race decided by one vote

CLIFTON, Maine (WABI) - Two ballots that were not counted in a municipal election a little over a month ago must now be counted, according to a ruling from Maine’s Highest Court.

On March 24th, Clifton residents voted on who would become their next selectboard member, Cynthia Grant, or Steve Armenia.

Grant won by one vote.

The next day, two uncounted absentee ballots were discovered.

An emergency town meeting was held just days later to count those ballots, where their validity was challenged.

Per state statute, the ballots were not processed and were instead sent to the Maine Supreme Court along with an affidavit explaining why the votes were being challenged.

Grant was sworn in following that meeting.

The Court ruled Monday that the affidavit lacked sufficient information indicating the votes were invalid and was not properly notarized, meaning those two ballots must now be counted.

We have reached out to the town of Clifton for a response, but their offices are closed on Mondays.