2026

City of Ellsworth — City Council Recount Update

November 16, 2026 — Special Meeting: School Board and Library Trustee Certification and Swearing-In
The City of Ellsworth will hold a special meeting on Monday, November 16, 2026, in City Hall Council Chambers at 5:30 p.m. to certify the election results and swear in newly elected members of the Ellsworth School Board and Library Board of Trustees.

Agenda: https://www.ellsworthmaine.gov/notices/city-council-special-meeting-notice-and-agenda-for-monday-november-16-2026/

The certification and swearing-in of newly elected City Council members will take place after the pending City Council recount is completed and the election results are finalized. The current Council members will remain in office until their successors are officially seated. The City will continue to provide updates on the recount timeline as information becomes available.

For agendas visit : https://www.ellsworthmaine.gov/notice-category/council/

November 10, 2026
The City of Ellsworth continues to work toward scheduling the recount for the November 3, 2026, City Council election.

The State of Maine is also conducting a recount and has taken custody of the state election ballots. As part of the Ellsworth municipal recount, the City needs to review the state ballot boxes once they are returned to determine whether any municipal ballots were inadvertently placed in those boxes on Election Day.

The candidate requesting the City Council recount has asked that the City wait until the state ballots have been returned before proceeding. To ensure the recount is complete and accurate, all ballots must be reviewed; however, only votes received by the second- and third-place City Council candidates will be counted as part of the recount process.

Because the City does not yet know when the state ballots will be returned, a date for the municipal recount has not been established. The City will continue coordinating with the appropriate election officials and will announce a timeline as soon as one can be confirmed.

In the meantime, the two current City Council members whose seats were on the November ballot will remain in office until the recount is completed, the election results are finalized, and their successors are officially seated.

The City appreciates the community’s patience as we work through these important election procedures and remains committed to an accurate, fair and transparent process.

November 3, 2026 City Council Election Recount Update and Statement

November 5, 2026
The City of Ellsworth has received a formal request for a recount from a candidate in the November 3, 2026, City Council election.

The City will now follow the procedures outlined in its Charter and applicable election requirements to establish a timeline for the recount. The newly elected City Council members will be sworn in following the completion of the recount process. A date has not yet been established, and the City will share additional information as soon as the timeline is confirmed.

Under the applicable recount provisions, the margin of votes between the candidates means the cost of the recount will be covered by the City.

The City remains committed to ensuring an accurate and transparent election process and appreciates the public’s patience as these procedures are completed. We will share additional information regarding dates and procedures as soon as these items are confirmed.

City of Ellsworth _Recount FAQ

November 3, 2026

November 3, 2026_ OFFICIAL Municipal Election Results

November 3, 2026_OFFICIAL City of Ellsworth State General Election Results

June 9, 2026

June 9 2026 _ ROVC 06092026 Offical Results

June 9 2026 _ Copy of Election night Clerks Result – Municipal

June 9 2026 _ Election night Clerks Result sheets – State

2025

11-4-2025 Unofficial Results – Municipal and State Referendum Election
06-10-2025 Unofficial Results – School Budget Validation

2024

11-5-2024 Unofficial Results – Municipal Election

11-5-2024 Unofficial Results – Presidential, State and Referendum (summarized total followed by breakdown of Ellsworth by wards and Fletchers Landing Township)

06-11-2024 Unofficial Election Results – Municipal Election

06-11-2024 Unofficial Election Results – State Election

03-05-2024 Unofficial Election Results Tally Sheet – Presidential Primary Election  – Official results later this week

2023

11-07-2023 Official Election Results Tally Sheet  – Local        Final Election Results Signed

11-07-2023 Unofficial Election Results Tally Sheet – State

06-29-2023 Official Election Results Tally Sheet

2022

06-14-2022 Unofficial Election Results Tally Sheet
07-12-2022 Unofficial Election Results Tally Sheet
11-08-2022 Unofficial Election Results Tally Sheets
11-08-2022 Unofficial Election Results Write-In Candidate Tally Sheets
11-08-2022 Official Election Results Post Recount

Upcoming election: State and Municipal General Election, November 3, 2026. Polls will be open 8:00am to 8:00pm.

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Click below to view a Specimen Ballot, City of Ellsworth Municipal Election, Tuesday. November 3, 2026
Municipal Specimen Ballot_NOV26

PUBLIC NOTICE | MUNICIPAL BALLOT CORRECTION

 TO THE VOTERS OF ELLSWORTH:

Please be advised of a typographical error on the specimen and official municipal ballots for the upcoming November 3, 2026, election.

• Candidate: McKenney, Kelly J.
• Office: Ellsworth School Board
• Printed Address: 305 Sunny Road
• Correct Address: 305 Surry Road

While candidate addresses are not required under the City of Ellsworth Municipal Charter, this notice is provided to clarify the error for voters. The candidate’s eligibility and official placement on the ballot remain unaffected.

NOTICE OF ABSENTEE VOTING | City of Ellsworth

State & Municipal General Election Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Absentee Ballots will be available in the City Clerk’s Office at Ellsworth City Hall beginning Monday, October 5, 2026.

Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot—with no reason required—through Thursday, October 29, 2026.

• To request an absentee ballot call or visit the Ellsworth City Clerk’s Office, mail a request form to the City Clerk’s Office, or use the Secretary of State’s online absentee ballot request service.

Starting Friday, October 30th, 2026, through Tuesday, November 3, 2026, absentee ballots may only be requested with a Special Circumstances Application.

Qualifying special circumstances include:

• An unexpected absence from the municipality during the entire time polls are open on Election Day (8:00 AM – 8:00 PM)
• A physical disability
• An inability to travel to the polls because the voter is a resident of a coastal island ward or precinct
• An incapacity or illness that prevents the voter from leaving home or a treatment facility

City Hall is open Monday through Thursday 7 am to 6 pm for voting and voter registration updates.

Absentee Ballots must be received by the City Clerk’s Office by 8:00 PM on Election Day to be counted.

Election Day Voting | All Ellsworth polling places will be open on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

City of Ellsworth Clerk’s Department | Phone: 207-669-6604

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View the Results tab for previous election results.

Visit the State of Maine Upcoming Election Page

The State of Maine has provided updated links for absentee ballot request forms. Absentee ballot requests are now available.

• Here is the link: https://absenteeballotrequest.sos.maine.gov/
• And here is the fillable version of the absentee ballot request application https://www.maine.gov/sos/elections-voting/absentee-voting.

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Purpose of this page: This page is intended to provide factual updates regarding the recall petition process. It will be updated as new information becomes available. The City of Ellsworth’s role is to administer the process established in the City Charter. This page is not intended to advocate for or against the recall effort.

Recall Petition Process Update for Monday, July 20, 2026

The City Clerk’s Office has completed its review and verification of the supplemental recall petition signatures submitted by the Recall Committee in accordance with the City Charter.

Following verification, the petitions were determined to be insufficient, as they did not contain the required 1,279 valid signatures needed to proceed with a recall election under the City Charter.

The official verification results have been provided to the Recall Committee in accordance with the Charter. As a result, the current recall petition process has concluded.

Throughout this process, the City’s role has been to administer the Charter fairly, impartially, and consistently. Every signature submitted was carefully reviewed and verified to ensure the process was conducted accurately and in accordance with the requirements of the City Charter.

The City would like to recognize the exceptional work of the Clerk’s Office. Verifying thousands of petition signatures required significant time, attention to detail, and professionalism while staff continued serving residents and carrying out their regular responsibilities. We sincerely appreciate their commitment to administering this process with fairness, accuracy, and integrity.

Final Verification Results

Recall Petition Timeline

• Initial Petition Review: Following review by the City Clerk’s Office, the petitions were determined to contain fewer than the required 1,279 valid signatures on the deadline of July 6, 2026.
• Supplemental Petition Period: In accordance with the City Charter, the Recall Committee was provided a 10-day period to gather and submit additional signatures by July 16, 2026.
• July 16, 2026: Supplemental petition signatures were submitted by the Charter deadline.
• Final Verification: The City Clerk’s Office completed its verification of all submitted signatures within the five-day timeframe per the Charter. Following that review, the petitions remained below the required threshold of 1,279 valid signatures.
• Outcome: The recall petitions were determined to be insufficient, and the recall petition process concluded in accordance with the City Charter.

Questions regarding the recall petition process may be directed to the City Clerk’s Office.

Recall Petition Process

Overview

The City of Ellsworth is administering the recall petition process in accordance with the City Charter. The City’s role is administrative and impartial. It is the responsibility of the City Clerk’s Office to receive petitions, validate signatures, and administer the process as outlined in the Charter.

This page will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Current Status

The Recall Committee submitted recall petitions for five members of the City Council on Friday, June 26, 2026.

Following a review by the City Clerk’s Office, each petition was determined to be insufficient because it did not contain the required 1,279 valid signatures needed to proceed to a recall election.

Formal notices of insufficiency were issued to the Recall Committee today, Thursday, July 2^nd 2026 for each petition. Those notices also identify the number of additional valid signatures needed for each petition to meet the required threshold (see below).

Signature Validation Results

Why is the Recall Committee Receiving Additional Time?

Following completion of the signature validation process, the City consulted with legal counsel regarding how to administer the next step of the recall process.

The City Charter contains language that required legal interpretation regarding whether a petition that is determined to be insufficient for lack of valid signatures may be supplemented with additional signatures. After reviewing the Charter and obtaining legal guidance, the City determined that the Recall Committee will be provided the opportunity to file supplemental petitions as provided in Section 5.10(b)(1) of the Charter. The legal advice recognized that there were differing interpretations of the Charter language, and the City chose the interpretation that allows the Charter process to continue while preserving the rights of all parties.

Administering the Recall Process

The recall process is administered by the City Clerk’s Office in accordance with the City Charter. Validating hundreds of petition signatures for multiple recall petitions is a detailed and time-intensive process that requires careful review to ensure every signature is evaluated consistently and fairly.

The City Clerk’s Office dedicated significant time and attention to this work while continuing to meet the day-to-day needs of residents and the many responsibilities of administering elections and City business. Throughout the process, staff worked diligently to uphold both the letter and the intent of the Charter while ensuring the process remained fair, impartial, and transparent for everyone involved.

The City sincerely appreciates the professionalism, integrity, and commitment demonstrated by the Clerk’s Office throughout this process.

What Happens Next?

The supplemental petition packets will be available for the Recall Committee from City Hall beginning: Monday, July 6, 2026 at 8:00 a.m.

Completed supplemental petitions must be returned to City Hall no later than: Thursday, July 16, 2026  at 12:00 p.m.

Following submission of any supplemental petitions, the City Clerk will review and validate those signatures in accordance with the City Charter.

Next Steps

Following the supplemental petition deadline, the City Clerks will validate the newly submitted signatures to determine whether enough valid signatures have been received to trigger a recall election. No additional supplemental signatures will be accepted after the deadline.

If the Clerks determine that the required threshold of 1,279 valid signatures has been met for a petition, they will proceed with scheduling a recall election in accordance with the City Charter. The recall election will provide voters at large in the city with the opportunity to decide whether the councilor named in that petition should be recalled.

Additional information about the recall process from the City Charter is below. The City will also soon provide further details about the election process, including information on how City business would continue if the outcome of one or more recall elections were to temporarily reduce the number of seated councilors below the quorum required to conduct Council business.

Ellsworth City Charter Recall Provisions

Part II. Recall

Sec. 5.08 – General Authority.

Any person elected to the office of City Councilor in the City of Ellsworth may be recalled and

removed therefrom by the electors of the City of Ellsworth as herein provided.

Sec. 5.09 – Procedure for Initiating Recall Petition.

(a) Any thirty (30) Registered Voters of the City of Ellsworth may make and file with the City

Clerk an affidavit containing the name of the Councilor whose removal is sought. These

thirty (30) Registered Voters will constitute the Recall Committee. The affidavit must

contain:

(1) the signature of each person who will compose the Recall Committee;

(2) the printed name and Physical Address of each signatory;

(3) the name of the individual and official mailing address to which all notices to the

committee are to be sent, and

(4) a statement detailing the reason(s) why recall is sought. This statement detailing the

reason(s) for removal will thereafter be made a part of the recall petition.

(b) Upon filing of the affidavit and verification by the City Clerk that each signatory is a

Registered Voter of the City of Ellsworth, the City Clerk will prepare a recall petition of the

Councilor named in the affidavit. The Recall Committee has thirty (30) Days from the date

of verification of the affidavit by the City Clerk to cause the petition to be signed by not less

than 20% of the Registered Voters of the City of Ellsworth as determined at the time of the

last preceding regular municipal election. To be valid, each Registered Voter’s signature

must be followed by the Registered Voter’s Physical Address. Each separate recall petition

paper must have an attached affidavit from the circulator stating the number of signatures on

each petition and certifying that each signature was made in the circulator’s presence and is

the genuine signature of the person whose name it purports to be.

Sec. 5.10 – Examination and Certification of Recall Petition.

Within twenty (20) Days after the closing of the thirty-day petition-gathering period, the City

Clerk will ascertain whether or not the petition was signed by the requisite number of Registered

Voters.

(a) If the City Clerk determines the petition is sufficient, the City Clerk will attach a certification

to the petition stating that:

(1) the petition has the required number of signatures of Registered Voters,

(2) each separate recall petition paper has an attached affidavit from the circulator stating the

number of signatures on each petition and certifying that each signature was made in the

circulator’s presence and is the genuine signature of the person whose name it purports to

be,

(3) each signatory had an opportunity to read the statement detailing the reason(s) for recall,

and

(4) the petition is sufficient.

(b) If the City Clerk determines the petition is insufficient, the City Clerk will notify the Recall

Committee how it is defective.

(1) If a petition is determined to be insufficient for lack of the required number of valid

signatures, the committee may amend the petition once by filing supplementary petitions

within ten (10) Days after receiving the Notice. All supplementary petitions must comply

with the requirements of Sec. 5.09(b). For the purpose of calculating this deadline, the

Notice will be deemed to be received by the committee three (3) Days after mailing.

(2) Within five (5) Days after any supplementary petitions are filed, the City Clerk will

determine whether the petition as amended is sufficient under the provisions of this

Charter and state law and promptly send a final Notice to the committee by registered

mail.

(3) If the committee does not file a supplemental petition or if the City Clerk determines that

the petition as amended is defective, the petition will have no further force or effect and

all proceedings thereon will be terminated.

Sec. 5.11 – Calling Recall Elections.

(a) If the petition is certified by the City Clerk to be sufficient:

(1) the City Clerk will submit the petition with certification to the Council within ten (10)

Days of the date of certification and will notify the Councilor whose removal is sought by

such action;

(2) within twenty (20) Days of the receipt of the City Clerk’s certification, the Council will

convene a meeting to order an election to be held not more than thirty (30) Days after the

meeting to submit to vote the question of recall.

(3) If recall is effective, the vacancy created thereby will be filled in accordance with the

provisions of Article 2.10(c).

(b) Form of Ballot in Recall Election. The form of the ballot at the recall election will be as

follows:

“Shall Councilor (name of person proposed for recall) be recalled and removed from the

office of City Councilor?”

Immediately below such question will appear in the following order the words “YES” and

“NO”.

Sec. 5.12 – Majority Vote Required.

The Councilor whose recall is sought as provided above will be recalled and immediately

removed from office when a majority of those voting thereon in the municipal election vote in

the affirmative.

Link to Ellsworth City Charter: https://www.ellsworthmaine.gov/government/city-charter/

Polling Consolidation into One Location

The City of Ellsworth is considering a proposal to consolidate all four of its wards into a single polling location for Election Day. This recommendation comes after careful evaluation of the logistical challenges and costs associated with the current system. Consolidating the wards into one central polling location would provide several significant benefits, both in terms of cost savings and operational efficiency.

Reasons for Consolidation

1. Cost Savings
   One of the main advantages of consolidating polling locations is the substantial reduction in operational costs. Each ward currently requires separate staffing, equipment, and supplies. By consolidating the polling sites into one central location, the city can eliminate the need to rent and maintain four separate polling sites. This would lead to direct savings on facility rental, staffing, and materials. Fewer locations mean fewer expenses, allowing resources to be redirected to other important areas.
2. Optimized Use of Staff
   A single polling location allows for better utilization of staff. Instead of spreading election workers thinly across multiple locations, a centralized polling site allows the city to deploy staff more effectively. With all workers at one site, the city can better train personnel, reduce the risk of miscommunication, and ensure that workers are fully focused on their tasks. This would result in improved efficiency, fewer mistakes, and a smoother operation overall.
3. Simplified Oversight and Coordination
   Having all voters at one location simplifies the logistical challenges of managing the election process. It allows city officials to better oversee the event, ensuring all materials and equipment are in one place, reducing the potential for errors or misplacement. A single location also makes it easier to respond to any issues or concerns quickly, ensuring that voters have a seamless experience. This streamlined approach enhances transparency and enables more effective management.
4. Increased Efficiency and Voter Accessibility
   Consolidating polling locations would improve the overall efficiency of Election Day operations. Voters would no longer need to navigate between multiple polling sites, reducing confusion and wait times. While concerns regarding accessibility would be carefully addressed, a single location would be more straightforward for voters, making the process easier for everyone involved. It would also reduce the chances of voters mistakenly going to the wrong location.

Consolidating the polling locations into a single site for Election Day provides numerous advantages, including significant cost savings, improved staff utilization, and more efficient oversight. These benefits will not only streamline the election process but also improve the experience for both voters and city staff. By centralizing operations, the City of Ellsworth can ensure that its elections are run more efficiently and effectively.

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