Ranked Choice Referendum may be decided by just a few voters

Editor,

Ranked choice voting will come before the voters again in a referendum on June 12. Since this is an off-year, June election, voter turnout coud be light, which is unfortunate for such an important question. The election will include Democrat and Republican primaries, but the referendum and local elections are of course open to Independent voters as well.

Many Mainers believe ranked choice voting has been decided, since voters approved it. But events of the past two years have made this additional referendum vote necessary.

The people of Maine voted in November, 2016, in favor of ranked-choice voting, also known as instant runoff. The Maine Supreme Court ruled that ranked-choice is not constitutional for state elections, because the Maine Constitution only calls for a plurality to win. But ranked choice voting is constitutional for primaries and federal elections.

Despite the opinion of the high court, the Legislature voted in October 2017 to delay ranked-choice for all elections for four years, and then to prohibit it unless a constitutional amendment passes.

Advocates of Ranked Choice Voting rallied and carried out a People’s Veto of the Legislature’s delay, collecting about 67,000 valid signatures. That means voters will decide whether to support ranked choice voting and reject the four-year delay (a yes vote), or to put the four-year delay into effect (a no vote).

Ranked choice voting restores majority rule, which was in Maine’s original constitution. It eliminates concern about spoiler candidates. It encourages election of representatives who appeal to a broad cross section (a majority) of voters, and therefore are able to reach across the aisle to work with members of different parties.

Voters will use this method in the upcoming primary elections, but ranking choices will not be continued unless the referendum is passed by the voters.

Question 1: Do you want to reject the parts of a new law that would delay the use of ranked-choice voting in the election of candidates for any state or federal office until 2022, and then retain the method only if the constitution is amended by December 1, 2021, to allow ranked-choice voting for candidates in state elections?

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