Scarborough residents yesterday narrowly defeated a proposal to allow a local harness racing track operate slot machines in the town. 

Local voters rejected the proposal that Scarborough Downs operate slot machines at its race track by a vote of 5,804 to 5,565, according to unofficial results cited by the Portland Press Herald. The vote's results were delayed until noon because of a voting machine error that occurred yesterday.

Campaign finance reports filed before the election revealed that Penn National Gaming, the Pennsylvania-based company that operates Maine's only racino, Hollywood Slots in Bangor, was the sole funder of the political action committee behind the proposal to bring slot machines to the town.