AUGUSTA — Maine election officials have proposed rules for the first use of ranked-choice voting in statewide primary elections, on June 12.
The emergency rules posted Wednesday cover everything from the ballot layout to security. Notably absent is any sort of timetable for declaring winners. Election officials have said it could take a week or more if there’s no clear majority winner.
The secretary of state is accepting public comments through April 6.
The system lets voters rank candidates from first to last. If there’s no majority winner, then the last-place candidate is eliminated and there are further tabulations.
Supporters collected enough signatures to stop a legislative delay in implementing the system. A people’s veto vote to determine the future of ranked-choice voting will be held on the same day it’s used in the primary elections.
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