By Beth Daley, Globe Staff, 11/08/2000

Early returns had Maine residents narrowly defeating a measure to make the state the second in the country to allow physician-assisted suicide.

It was unclear whether voters approved an equal rights measure for gays and lesbians. Despite strong support in very early returns, opponents pulled ahead after midnight with 51 percent of the vote, with CNN reporting results from 61 percent of the precincts. The state repealed a gay-rights law three years ago. Meanwhile, residents soundly defeated a referendum to restrict logging in the timber-rich state. The Portland Press Herald reported a whopping 71 percent of voters against the measure, with 46 percent of precincts reporting.

Supporters of the physician-assisted suicide ballot question were holding onto 48 percent of the vote late last night, but opponents to the measure had secured 52 percent. Oregon is the only other state in the country that allows doctors to help people die.

Other early ballot question results tallied by the Portland Press Herald showed voters vetoing video gaming at certain horse tracks and granting property tax breaks to fishermen. They also overwhelmingly continued the practice of denying the right to vote to mentally ill people who have guardians.

The ballot questions on physician-assisted suicide and stringent logging restrictions were among the most controversial in Maine's recent history. Both were the subject of a flurry of last-minute pitches near voting halls and on television.

Public opinion in recent weeks has come out against logging prohibitions and in favor of the state's huge forest industry. Physician-assisted suicide was a close call in the last few weeks, as polls showed an almost-equal number of residents for and against the proposal.

In Portland last night, a judge vetoed a request to keep polling places open an additional two hours after it was discovered that as many as 1,000 voters' names were wrongly purged from voter lists. Some voters decided not to wait to reregister and lawyers for the Democratic Party argued that the party would have been helped if the polls stayed open.

Elsewhere across the state, voters lined up in large numbers to vote as those who fought for and against ballot questions said they would not jinx the results by predicting them.

"It's still neck and neck," said Kate Roberts of Death With Dignity, which sponsored the question to legalize physician-assisted suicide.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.