Secretary of State Matt Dunlap told lawmakers Thursday that ranked-choice voting likely can’t be implemented in time for the June primary election, causing supporters of the voting method to threaten legal action to ensure it is in place.
The revelation comes as a bombshell, with Dunlap’s department attempting to rush through new rules about how the system approved by voters in 2016would work. Those proposed rules were submitted Wednesday but could now be moot if the plug is pulled.
[Maine backs ranked-choice voting proposal, but legal hurdles remain]
At issue is a people’s veto petition that was conducted after the Legislature passed a law last year delaying implementation of ranked-choice voting until the Maine Constitution is amended to accommodate it. Technically, the people’s veto blocks an amendment made to the 2017 law and reverts to existing statutes saying primaries are determined by plurality — which means whoever garners the most votes, not a majority as called for in ranked-choice voting.
According to Maine Public, Dunlap said ranked-choice voting can’t occur in June without fixing a problem he found in the original ranked-choice voting law, and that either the Legislature or Maine’s court system must act by Monday if he is to have time to implement the system and prepare for the June 12 election.
The County is pleased to feature content from our sister company, Bangor Daily News. To read the rest of “Dunlap: Fix ranked-choice voting by Monday or Maine can’t use it,” an article by contributing Bangor Daily News staff writer Christopher Cousins, please follow this link to the BDN online.
