Tag: Ranked voting

Maine voters again endorsed ranked-choice voting, passing a ballot question that keeps alive the first-in-the-nation election system. With a majority of key precincts reporting, the “yes” vote held a solid lead with 55 percent of the total vote. Ranked-choice voting has been on a roller coaster ever since being enacted by referendum in November 2016. Opposition was fueled in May 2017 when an advisory opinion from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court said the system was partially unconstitutional because of language in the Maine Constitution that calls for general elections in Maine to be decided by pluralities. A federal lawsuit by the Maine Republican Party to bar ranked-choice voting to be used in its nominating elections failed in late May. But proponents’ suggestions that it would lead to more civil campaigning fizzled amid a flurry of late negative campaigning and candidates’ strategic maneuvering to push front-runners down their supporters’ ranked-choice ballots. “It’s a more truthful way of making choices in an election. With it, you can start to look at each candidate a little more honestly, and select the most viable options.” “It makes for more of an honest discussion about the actual qualities of a candidate,” Maiorana added, “instead of playing the game” of voting merely to support the most likely winner. Susan De La Rosa of Lewiston said she definitely liked experiencing ranked-choice voting in this election. For a roundup of Maine political news, click here for the Daily Brief.