FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 2011
Contact: Caitlin E. Chamberlain
(207) 441-0501?

Department of the Secretary of State Presents Lorraine M. Fleury Award During Annual Elections Conference

BANGOR – The Lorraine M. Fleury award was presented to Mary Lou Magno, a retired municipal clerk from Auburn, during the Secretary of State’s 2011 Elections Conference.  Named for long-time state Director of Elections Lorraine M. Fleury, the award recognizes and honors an individual who has made a significant contribution to the election process and who exemplifies the qualities of fairness, experience, knowledge and service.  Mary Lou was unable to accept the award at the conference, so it will be formally presented to her at a later date. 

Mary Lou Magno, who retired in June 2010, served the citizens of Auburn for 38 years. With quiet competence, she managed five voting locations and nearly 16,000 voters.  She was also early adopter of voting technology and she continually strove to streamline and improve the elections process as well as office functions. 

Mary Lou continues to serve as the warden for Maine’s new central voting location for the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).  As warden she oversees a group of party-appointed election clerks to process and count absentee ballots from Mainers serving in the military or living overseas. Last November, Mary Lou ensured that over 600 absentee ballots were processed correctly. 

?I commend Mary Lou for her years of dedicated service to people of Maine,? said Secretary of State Charlie Summers.? ?She is truly deserving of the Lorraine M. Fleury Award in recognition for her long-time commitment to the election process.?

The two day Elections Conference, hosted by the Department of the Secretary of State, provided municipal clerks and registrars with the most up-to-date information on Maine election law.  Over 300 Municipal Clerks and Registrars representing approximately 250 Maine municipalities convened at the Spectacular Events Center in Bangor on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

During the conference, participants learned about important changes in Maine election law including new procedures for absentee balloting.  They also attended seminars covering the full spectrum of Maine’s elections from registering new voters to closing the polls on Election Day.