The Free Press asked 100 students from both Gorham and Portland about the upcoming election.
Of those 100 students, 52 did not know there was a state election on Tuesday, and of the students who knew about the election, more than a third weren’t familiar with the state referendum questions
.
Most of the students polled who knew about the election said that Question 2 was most important to them, the question that directly pertains to USM and the system.
This question asks voters if they favor a $15.5 million dollar bond issue that would fund laboratory and classroom renovations systemwide for the sciences.
A few students said Question 1 on the Portland ballot was the most important issue to them. Question 1, a citizens’ initiative, would remove all criminal and civil penalties for adults who possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana in Portland.
Twenty-nine percent of surveyed students who knew about the election chose not to select one of the five state referendum questions as the most important issue for them.
