Bernie Sanders Beats Hillary Clinton After Strong Turnout in Maine Caucuses
It wasn't some empty talk after all when Bernie Sanders proclaimed his victory if there would be a strong voter turnout. The senator from Vermont came out as the runaway winner in Maine after the Democratic caucuses held on Sunday, March 6, registered an "extraordinary turnout."
Sanders' Convincing Win Over Clinton
Sanders scored a victory over fellow Democratic presidential aspirant Hillary Clinton by a fairly large margin. He almost beat out his rival by two to one. With 91 percent into the completion of the voting, Sanders already tallied 64 percent of the votes as compared to Clinton's 36 percent.
"While many in our country's political and financial establishment would love to see our campaign go away, tonight proved once again that we are well on our way towards winning this Democratic primary," he told supporters in an email after the debate on Sunday.
The turnout was higher than what was expected, which even resulted in a queue of people as long as half a mile. Others even have to wait for hours for their turn to get inside the caucuses' venue. There were a good number of participants from the cities of Portland, South Portland, Lewiston, Bangor and the town of Brunswick.
The Need for a Change in Voting Method
In line with this, the state's senator, Justin Alfond, assures the people that he would initiate a new legislation to change the local Democratic party's voting method from caucuses to primary elections in order to make the process more efficient.
"The awe-inspiring turnout meant too many had to wait in long lines to make their voices heard. We need to have a conversation, once again, about the best way to nominate our presidential candidates, and ensure the process is easy and accessible to all," Alfond said.
"We certainly regret that folks had to wait outside for so long but appreciate the enthusiasm," said Phil Bartlett, chairman of the Maine Democratic Party, who admitted that the organizers were really surprised by the huge turnout.
The organizers even had to bend some rules like allowing those in the long lines to cast absentee ballots just to address the matter.
"It's outrageous. It seems like a ridiculous waste of time," said Isaac Santerre, 19, who had to wait for more than four hours just to cast his vote for Sanders in Portland. "The whole thing is frustrating to think they could hold a caucus in a small place like this."
The resounding victory in Maine puts Sanders on a roll after winning both the caucuses in Nebraska and Kansas, as well. He said that they now have the momentum and his campaign is just getting started.
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