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As far as national political types are concerned, the Maine presidential caucus has been over and done with since Saturday; Ron Paul supporters' objections to the outcome have been treated more or less as sore-loser griping.
The Bangor Daily News reports, however, that local complaints about the Maine process have been building, as communities that held their caucuses before Feb. 11 learn that their votes didn't necessarily factor into the statewide count:
All along, state GOP officials said communities knew that their votes would not be included in the final results if they did not hold their caucus by Feb. 11.
However, a review of the town-by-town results released Saturday by the Maine GOP suggests that some communities that had caucused prior to Feb. 11 were not counted. Nearly all Waldo County towns held caucuses on Feb. 4 but those towns were blank in the results released by the state party. Additionally, Waterville held its caucuses ahead of time but their results were not included.
Waldo County GOP Chairman Raymond St. Onge said the results were sent to the state party on Tues., Feb. 7. He said those results probably would not have changed the outcome but was disheartened the votes were not included. …
Some big names already are urging the party to reconsider.
“I spoke with Chairman Webster [Saturday night] to express my strong view that our votes must count and to make the point that they certainly will count in the court of public opinion and in the media,” Senate President Kevin Raye of Perry said Sunday in a post on the Facebook page of Dean McGuire, president of Machias Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.
Regardless of how it affects the Romney-Paul count, Maine's cleanup operation can't be good for the already beaten-down caucus tradition itself.
