As Maine Goes, So Goes the Nation

On Tuesday, September 24 at 6:30 PM, the Dennys River Historical Society will present a program on local voting patterns in presidential elections by Professor Jim Oberly, entitled “Dennysville the Bellwether: Voting and Voter Enthusiasm in Dennysville when Maine Forecast National Election Results, 1820-1956.” The public is invited to attend this program, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Library in Dennysville.

A saying about presidential elections in the 19th century went, “As Maine goes, so goes the Nation.” The basis for that phrase was Maine’s laws for holding elections for state and local offices in September, followed by a second special election in November to pick Maine’s slate for the Electoral College to help decide the president-elect and vice president-elect. Maine showed an uncanny pattern in which the winning party in the September statewide election also won the presidency nationwide in November.

National party managers and candidates paid very close attention to turnout and vote totals from Maine in September to gauge enthusiasm and turnout in November. This presentation makes use of the information found in Town of Dennysville records to see if the town, not just the State of Maine, was a bellwether for predicting which party would win the November presidential election.

Jim Oberly taught history and historical methods at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire for 36 years, and in retirement, he is a seasonal resident of Perry and an active volunteer for Sunrise Senior College and the Dennys River Historical Society. The public is welcome to attend this free program, which begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Library in Dennysville.