BANGOR — U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin asked a federal judge late Tuesday to order a new election in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District if the judge won’t declare Poliquin the winner. The two-term Republican claimed victory based on the first round of ranked-choice voting results in the midterm election earlier this month. Poliquin’s attorneys filed paperwork […]
ranked choice voting
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Questions raised about extra votes added to 2nd District results
AUGUSTA — As officials scramble to comply with a Monday request for a recount of the nearly 290,000 ballots cast in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District election, the state’s Republican Party raised questions Tuesday about the transparency of the initial count. When Secretary of State Matt Dunlap recently certified the results of the race, Democrat Jared […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Bruce Poliquin: Recount is about fairness, not who wins or loses
Rep. Bruce Poliquin said Tuesday his request for a recount in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District race is “about making sure that the system works” following a historic ranked-choice election he portrayed as “chaotic” and confusing for voters. Though clerks in several of the 2nd District’s largest municipalities — including Lewiston, Augusta, Bangor and Waterville — […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Poliquin seeks recount in Maine's 2nd District race
Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin asked Monday for a recount in the 2nd Congressional District race he lost narrowly to Jared Golden, the Lewiston Democrat. Later in the day, Golden said, “Dragging this process out only hurts the people we were elected to serve.” Golden said in a prepared statement Poliquin is “within his rights […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Expand ranked choice voting
I am so happy that the great state of Maine has embraced the ranked choice voting system and that its administration was implemented flawlessly. I hope that many other states take Maine’s lead, since it is the fairest way to conduct an election. Both parties should be happy that a candidate can win despite a […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
What the U.S. Constitution says and does not say about ranked-choice voting
Legal experts and constitutional scholars interviewed by the Portland Press Herald mostly agree a lawsuit filed Tuesday challenging Maine’s ranked-choice voting law is unlikely to prevail. U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, along with three other Maine residents, sued Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap in federal court, claiming that ranked-choice voting violates the U.S. Constitution. Lawyers […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine keeps counting ranked-choice ballots despite Poliquin's lawsuit
AUGUSTA — Republican 2nd District Congressman Bruce Poliquin filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against Maine’s Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap in an attempt to stop a retabulation of ranked-choice ballots in a race between Poliquin and Democratic challenger Jared Golden. The suit filed in federal court in Bangor is asking for a permanent injunction against Dunlap, seeking […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Secretary of state says Poliquin campaign’s charges could erode confidence in voting system
Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap criticized the campaign of U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin on Sunday for its allegations about mishandled ballot boxes, saying the charges could cause voters to lose confidence in the voting system. “I feel like I should reach out to the campaign and say, ‘Let us do our work before you […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Exit poll suggests Jared Golden has the advantage in ranked-choice voting
AUGUSTA — Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin will head into this weekend’s ranked-choice tabulations of 2nd Congressional District votes with a narrow lead, but political insiders, an exit poll and even bettors are suggesting that lead could evaporate as the second and third choices of independent voters are added to the tallies of the two front […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Legal precedent so far supports ranked-choice voting
It is not clear yet what legal arguments might be made against ranked-choice voting if the law were challenged as a result of the outcome in Maine’s 2nd District congressional race. “I don’t think there’s any way they can win,” Rob Richie, president of Fair Vote, a Maryland group advocating election reform, said Thursday. He […]