AUGUSTA — If ranked-choice voting is applied to Maine’s June 12 primary election, the system would come into play in only one legislative race – a House District 75 contest that features three Republicans. All three candidates for the seat representing Turner, Leeds and part of Livermore said Tuesday that they oppose ranked-choice voting on […]
ranked choice voting
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Senate seeks to intervene in ranked-choice-voting court case
AUGUSTA — In a highly unusual move, the Maine Senate voted Monday to authorize its president to seek intervenor status in a case in Kennebec County Superior Court that could decide whether ranked-choice voting will be used in the June primaries. The 21-13 vote late in the day gives Republican Senate President Michael Thibodeau permission […]
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Chaos erupts around Maine’s ranked-choice voting plan
AUGUSTA – Questions were swirling Thursday about whether Mainers will use the ranked-choice voting system in the June primaries after Secretary of State Matt Dunlap raised concerns about a conflict in the law. Dunlap said his office was notified late Wednesday about “legal concerns regarding the implementation of ranked-choice voting” and, as a result, Dunlap […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Ranked-choice voting will be in place for June primaries
AUGUSTA — Maine is about to embark on a voting system never before used in a major statewide election anywhere in the United States. With the announcement Monday from the secretary of state’s office that supporters of ranked-choice voting submitted enough valid signatures, the June 12 primaries in Maine are suddenly more than just a […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Campaigns unsure how ranked-choice voting will affect Maine elections
AUGUSTA — As politicians prepare to face the first-ever congressional election using ranked-choice voting, most admit they have almost no idea how it will affect the results. Ask a political insider how the new voting system will weigh on the primary campaigns waged by Democrats seeking to face Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin this year and the […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Collecting signatures for RCV
Ranked-choice voting was passed with enthusiasm by the voters of Maine, but got tied up in knots by a legislative committee chaired by one of the many candidates for governor. A people’s veto campaign is underway and must collect enough signatures by Jan. 19. If enough signatures are gathered to put the people’s veto on […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Resuscitate ranked-choice voting
In 2016, Mainers decided that they wanted to use ranked-choice voting to elect their state and national representatives. They knew that RCV would allow them to express support for candidates they really liked without “wasting” their vote and would allow all candidates to compete on a more level field. RCV would help reduce polarization and […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Against the voices of the people
How discouraged we were to find that the Maine Legislature has, once again, voted against the will of the people by repealing the results of the citizens’ ranked-choice voting referendum passed in 2016. Less than a year after the second largest majority of voters in the history of citizen initiatives approved ranked-choice voting, the Legislature […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Backers of ranked-choice voting to fight delay with people's veto
AUGUSTA — Maine residents could be ranking the candidates for governor and Congress when they vote in the June primaries even though the Legislature passed a bill Monday to delay a ranked-choice voting system. Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said Tuesday that supporters of ranked-choice voting could block the bill to delay and repeal […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Legislature delays and potentially repeals ranked-choice voting
Secretary of State Matt Dunlap, center, listens in on the special session in the House of Representatives in Augusta on Monday. (David Leaming/Morning Sentinel) AUGUSTA – A citizen-backed law that made Maine the first state in the nation to adopted a ranked choice voting system will be delayed and possibly repealed, following a series of […]