Maine’s ranked-choice voting system explained

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – For the third straight federal election cycle, Maine voters will make the most of ranked-choice voting to find out their elected representatives to Congress if a candidate fails to achieve the 50% vote threshold within the preliminary spherical of vote counting.

The tactic will likely be utilized in races for Maine’s 1st and 2nd congressional districts. It won’t be utilized in races for governor or for the Maine Legislature.

Candidates will likely be listed together with columns during which voters can rank their decisions, as seen within the pattern poll under from Auburn.

Voters will listing their first preferential selection within the column which reads “1st selection” by filling within the bubble subsequent to the identify of their most popular candidate.

If a voter chooses to take action, they could listing their second preferential selection within the column which reads “2nd selection” by filling within the bubble subsequent to the identify of their second most most popular candidate amongst these listed.

A voter might listing their third preferential selection within the column which reads “third selection” and a fourth preferential selection within the column that reads “4th selection” if the race has greater than two listed candidates. A voter has the choice to write down in a single candidate on their poll to rank on this course of.

If a voter’s first-choice candidate finishes final among the many candidates within the first spherical of vote counting, the voter’s second-choice vote will switch to the candidate they listed within the “2nd selection” column, supplied that no candidate reaches 50% of the vote within the first spherical. The second-choice votes will then be added to the vote totals of the remaining candidates within the second spherical of vote counting.

If a voter’s second-choice candidate finishes final among the many remaining candidates within the second spherical of vote counting, the voter’s third-choice vote will switch to the candidate they listed within the “third selection” column, supplied that no candidate reaches 50% of the vote within the second spherical.

This course of will proceed till one candidate has reached the 50% vote threshold.

Voters can solely vote for one candidate in every column. If a number of candidates are listed within the first column, the poll won’t rely. If a number of candidates are listed in one other column, the poll won’t be transferred to the following spherical of vote counting.

Voters can select to vote for a similar candidate in a number of columns. Nevertheless, if a voter’s most popular candidate doesn’t advance out of a spherical of vote counting, their vote won’t be transferred to the following spherical if the candidate they selected within the spherical is already eradicated.

Within the 2018 2nd Congressional District race, 35.2% of ballots didn’t switch from the primary spherical of vote counting to the second spherical resulting from a number of votes in the identical column or a second-choice candidate not being listed on the poll. Jared Golden was elected to Congress within the second spherical of vote counting after no candidate reached 50% within the first spherical.

Extra data on ranked-choice voting in Maine may be discovered right here.

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