ORONO —Thousands of University of Maine students headed to the polls Tuesday — many casting their ballots for the first time as Maine residents.

The high turnout is part of a campus-wide initiative that’s been underway for more than a decade.

The University of Maine has one of the highest student voter turnout rates in the country, thanks in part to voter registration efforts by the university and student groups both on Election Day and throughout the semester.

“I’ve been here for about three hours and I’ve probably helped about 40 to 50 people register to vote,” said UMaine student Gabriella Bunkartas.

This semester alone, organizers estimate they’ve helped nearly 1,000 students register.

“We’ve been doing voter registration drives since the beginning of the semester,” said James Ps

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