Eight hundred of Boothbay's 2,600 registered voters cast ballots in the May 7 municipal election which saw incumbent selectmen Dale Harmon and Steve Lewis reelected. Among the voters were several Boothbay Region High School students looking to participate in democracy and shape the town’s future.

Eighteen-year-olds Kyle Alley, Brooke Harmon, Evy Case and Jackie McLoon were among several young voters exercising their franchise. For Alley, Harmon and McLoon, it was their first ballot. For Case, who turned 18 last October, her second: She voted in last November's state referendum election.

All four supported Harmon and Lewis. The four like recent changes in the town’s look, the new roundabout, and the selectmen’s pro-economic growth stance. Another reason the seniors like the two incumbents is the two have daughters in their class: Brooke Harmon and Kayla Lewis.

Case was more excited about voting the second time than the first time. She viewed the hotly contested selectmen’s race as a major attraction.  “I like seeing everybody all excited about voting,” she said. “Also, it’s important that the ideas I value are represented by our selectmen.”

Another first time voter got to vote for her father. Brooke Harmon turned 18 in February and, on May 7, voted in her first election.  She would have voted in this month’s election even if her father, Dale Harmon, wasn’t on the ballot. For Brooke, the local election was about preparing for a better economic future. “I love the changes happening in town,” she said. “The roundabout was a really good move and designs going forward for the look of the town I like, too.” She thought both incumbents deserved reelection.

McLoon made the most of her first election. She wrote a letter advocating for Lewis’s and Harmon’s reelection, participated in an April 29 candidates rally, and lobbied her classmates to vote. McLoon wasn’t the only family member to actively support the two incumbent selectmen. “My mom (Julie Roberts) told me last night to make sure those Boothbay seniors all voted today,” McLoon said. “Hopefully, all our efforts will work out. If you want to live here someday and raise a family you want to vote for Dale and Steve.”

Alley turned 18 in December. He voted after being reminded by his mother. “She told me last night today was Election Day, and asked if I wanted to go,” he said.

Alley will attend Southern Maine Community College this fall. He will study physics and engineering, but he’s not sure what career path he will take. Harmon will attend Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts and study interior design. “I’m not sure if I will come back, but I’d like to after graduation. It’s a great place to live and raise a family.”

Case doesn’t plan to work in the region after college. She will attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute studying chemical engineering. Case doesn’t foresee returning to Boothbay after college graduation. “There aren't any jobs in chemical engineering in the area, but if I changed my field, I would definitely want to come back,” she said.

McLoon will study cosmetology at the Paul Mitchell Institute in Florida. After she completes the nine-month program, she plans to work in Florida. However, she is considering living in Boothbay in the future. “This is home so I’d like to come back,” she said.

In the selectmen’s race, Dale Harmon was the top vote-getter with 491. Lewis finished second with 486. The two incumbents won new three-year terms. Challenger Mike Pander received 362 votes.

The other four municipal elections saw incumbents win reelection without opposition: John Bertolet, superintending school committee member, 687; Troy Lewis, community school district trustee, 635; Nell Tharpe, Boothbay Region Water District, 679; and Kim Pinkham, Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Cemetery District Trustee, 698.

The 25 remaining referendum articles received approval by large margins.