As someone who waited for hours in line during the 2016 presidential caucus only to leave without having participated, I am strongly in favor of L.D. 1083.
Passage of this bill not only moves Maine from a caucus to a primary state – which makes it much easier to participate in the process – but also ensures that the new system honors the will of the Maine people by instituting ranked-choice voting in state presidential primaries (as well as the general election for president).
Ranked-choice voting benefits everyone, regardless of political persuasion. In the upcoming 2020 election, there are likely to be primary challengers on the Republican side and multiple candidates on the Democratic side. Whether one supports the current president, the Democratic front-runner or someone else, all voters benefit from a system that renders the “lesser of two evils” compromise unnecessary. By ranking candidates, the winners in each party are destined to be those who enjoy the most general support. This is why the people of Maine voted in favor of ranked-choice voting in the first place, and when rebuffed by the state Legislature, they voted in favor of it again.
Maine’s ranked-choice voting initiative is being observed nationwide. Now is not the time to move backward. With L.D. 1083, we have the opportunity to expand a voting system the effectiveness of which has already been proven in our state. The voters of Maine like this system, and they clearly want it implemented.
Rather than standing in line forever only to have my voice silenced, I want to vote with greater ease and in a manner that ensures that how I choose to rank my candidates matters. L.D. 1083 does both. Again, this is not a partisan issue. This is about making our choices matter. Pass L.D. 1083.
Jim Behuniak
Portland
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