League of Women Voters of Maine, Committee for Ranked Choice Voting, and SUM Admin Team C2A

UPDATE: Question 1 passed by 54% and will be in place for Congressional elections in November! Legislators will begin work in the next session on a constitutional amendment that would put ranked choice voting in place for all statewide elections. A HUGE thank you to everyone who worked so hard to see this across the finish line!

THE ISSUE

Ranked choice voting (RCV) was introduced as a referendum on the 2016 ballot and was approved by 52% of Maine voters. Since then, the law has been challenged in the courts and in the State House, but Maine is now primed to be the first to use the system in a statewide race. Just this week, the courts rebuffed the latest court challenge by Republicans seeking to bar RCV. While the system is now set for the primaries, Question 1 will determine if it can be used in the general election for federal races and beyond. Question 1, also referred to as “The People’s Veto,” would overturn the legislature’s decision to block the use of RCV until constitutional issues are resolved. Because RCV will not be used in the general election for governor or state legislature (the positions that require a plurality vote under the Maine constitution), the use of RCV in November for federal elections poses no constitutional problems.

How does ranked choice voting work?

It’s basically an instant run-off. If no candidate receives the majority of votes in the initial vote, the lowest ranked candidate is removed, and his/her voters’ second choices are allocated to the remaining candidates. This process continues until one candidate has a majority of the votes still in play. You don’t have to rank candidates, but those who choose not to won’t have a voice in the run-off rounds if their first choice is eliminated. Still confused? Here’s a fabulous short video!

What elections will RCV be used for?

RCV will be used in primary races that have more than two candidates, including Democratic and Republican Gubernatorial primaries and Democratic primary for US Rep for CD2. If Question 1 is approved, RCV will also be used for any federal races that have more than two candidates. Learn more and see sample ballots.

THE ACTION