Maine is one of just two states in the country to use ranked-choice voting for some statewide elections (the other is Alaska). Here’s how it works:
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Voters rank their top five choices in each election. Their top-ranked choice is effectively their first vote cast.
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If any candidate receives more than 50 percent of the first-place votes, they win the election.
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If no candidate surpasses 50 percent, the election moves to what is effectively an instant runoff. In this situation, the candidate with the fewest first-place votes is eliminated. The second choices of voters who cast a first-choice ballot for the eliminated candidate are then counted.
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If, once again, no candidate surpasses 50 percent, the elimination process repeats — sometimes all the way to voters’ third or fourth choices, if multiple candidates are eliminated. Eventually, one candidate attains a majority of the vote.
Proponents of the practice say it increases participation and reduces polarization in elections by discouraging negative campaigning and creating incentives for candidates to reach out to a broader swath of the electorate. Critics, especially conservative groups and election skeptics, have attacked the process as overly complicated and expensive.
Ranked-choice voting is not expected to have much of an impact on either Senate primary in Maine. Senator Susan Collins is the Republican incumbent, and Graham Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee, faces no well-funded challenger since Gov. Janet Mills withdrew from the race.
The Republican primary for governor, however, could require a round of ranked-choice voting. Bobby Charles, a former assistant secretary of state under President George W. Bush, has maintained a strong lead among seven candidates. But most polls have found his support near 40 percent, enough for a comfortable lead but not for a clear victory.
The Democratic primary race for governor could go multiple rounds. The Democrats have a wide field, with five candidates all polling in the double digits. A recent poll from the University of New Hampshire found Troy Jackson, a former legislator, and Dr. Nirav Shah, an epidemiologist who led Maine’s coronavirus response, effectively tied in the lead. Shenna Bellows, the Maine secretary of state, was in third.
