This November was the first time Mainers used ranked choice voting in a general election. The method of voting was passed by Maine voters in 2016 and became effective in 2018 but is still a subject of great debate on social media in Maine. That debate is about to get fired up again as a group looks to expand ranked choice voting.

According to the Portland Press Herald, Democracy Maine has put forth a proposal that would include State House and Gubernatorial elections. Ranked choice voting is currently only used for elections for Congress and primaries, because the Maine Constitution requires that elections for State House and the Governor must be a plurality. In simpler terms, elections where the candidate with the most votes wins, but does not necessarily have the majority of votes.

Proponents say ranked choice is what the people of Maine voted for while opponents say it goes against the one person one vote mentality.

In order for ranked choice to expand, the Maine Constitution would have to be amended which takes a two thirds majority vote in the House and Senate to make happen and then it would need to pass in a statewide referendum.

This is one of many issues that divide our state which seems to be by geography. According to Ballotpedia, the results of the ranked choice vote in 2016 clearly show southern Maine counties in favor while the northern and western Maine counties were against.

So what do you think? Should ranked choice voting be expanded to include State House and Gubernatorial elections? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook page.

 

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