The Lincoln County Democratic Committee reported July 18 that 854 people participated in the delegate selection process July 18, at Wiscasset High School in Wiscasset. Delegates were elected to represent Lincoln County at the Maine Democratic Nominating Convention, July 25, in Bangor.

"That level of turnout and civic engagement exceeded anything we could have imagined when this process began," said Keith Mestrich, chair of the committee. "Thank you to every person who registered, attended, voted, volunteered or stood for election.

"I was particularly proud of the way people conducted themselves throughout this process. Delegate candidates engaged directly with their fellow citizens, participated in substantive political dialogue and made their case to their neighbors about why they should represent Lincoln County. Voters listened, asked questions and made thoughtful choices. This was democracy as it is supposed to work—openly, energetically and with citizens taking responsibility for the future of their party and their country."

The following were elected to represent Lincoln County at the Democratic Nominating Convention:

Delegates

1. Cameron Reny — Round Pond
2. Todd Brackett — Nobleboro
3. Breanna Davis — Boothbay
4. Nigel Calder — Newcastle
5. Cara Gaffney — Edgecomb
6. Wayne Farrin — Jefferson
7. Peter Arnold — Damariscotta
8. Heidi Ellrich — Alna
9. Leah Sprague — Newcastle
10. Stephen Kent — Boothbay
11. Debora Elliott — Bremen
12. Jenny Gray — Wiscasset
13. Mary Devlin — Damariscotta
14. Ronna Lugosch — Round Pond
15. Jason Putnam — Wiscasset

Alternates

1. Emily Carroll — Boothbay
2. Charles Van Kirk — Round Pond
3. Helen Meserve — Newagen

"Congratulations to our delegates and alternates, and sincere thanks to every person who put their name forward," said Mestrich. "Running for delegate required courage, work and a willingness to participate publicly in our democratic process. Our party is stronger because so many people stepped forward.

"I also cannot adequately thank the volunteers who made this possible. They handled registration, voter verification, technology, logistics, crowd management, communications and countless other details under an extraordinarily compressed timeline. Their patience, professionalism and good humor were remarkable. This event simply could not have happened without them.

"This was a tremendous experience and an inspiring demonstration of the strength of the Democratic Party in Lincoln County. At a moment when people often express cynicism about politics, 854 Lincoln County Democrats showed up and participated. That is something all of us should celebrate—and something of which we should be enormously proud."