Around New England

Plastic Bags Ban Wins, Then Loses, Then …?

November 16, 2018

A recount in the city of Waterville, Maine shows that a proposed ban on thin-film plastic bags at retail stores failed by seven votes, flipping the initial finding that it had passed.

But 164 votes from Colby College students that have been challenged and therefore not counted could re-flip the election result, if the Maine Supreme Judicial Court lets their votes count.

The Colby students put down their mailing addresses when they registered to vote instead of their physical addresses, which contradicts state law.

Some local officials also believe that transient college students shouldn’t be deciding local laws, since the vast majority of them won’t be in the city long, according to the Portland Press Herald.

Waterville, a city of about 16,000 people, is where Maine Governor Paul LePage lives. He served as mayor of the city from 2004 until 2011, when he became governor.