With nearly five hours left to vote in Wiscasset, total ballots cast by shortly after 3 p.m. came to 523, Town Clerk Christine Wolfe said. That's 310 ballots shy of the number needed to allow the town to leave Regional School Unit 12 if the yes vote prevails.

Still to come was the typically busy 4 to 6 p.m. time frame, Wolfe said. She said she was still hopeful the 833-vote threshhold would be reached, to make voters' decision stick if they favor withdrawal.

The 523 included absentee ballots, Wolfe said.

Among those leaving the Wiscasset Community Center after voting Tuesday afternoon was Dave Taylor, who said he wanted to support some of the proposed state bonds. The ones to improve Maine's community college buildings and Maine Army National Guard buildings are particularly important, he said.

However, Taylor said he would have voted even if there was nothing specific he was interested in on the ballot. “I was in the military eight years and I saw a lot of countries that don't have the freedoms we have,” he said.

“It's such a privilege,” Taylor said about voting.

Polls remain open at the Community Center on Route 27 until 8 p.m.