BANGOR, Maine — Ranked-choice voting will be used in Maine’s 2018 congressional elections, but not in the race to replace Gov. Paul LePage, whose plurality elections spurred the 2016 referendum to institute the electoral method.
Mainers have backed ranked-choice voting twice at the polls, but legal questions about whether the law conflicts with the state’s constitution on gubernatorial and legislative elections means it will only be used for federal elections on Nov. 6.
The fact that Maine will decide state elections by plurality and congressional elections by ranked choice is leading to varying degrees of confusion among voters. Progressive canvassers say they’re often informing people at their doors that ranked-choice voting won’t be used in the governor’s race, which reportedly spurred some voters to rethink support for a lower-polling candidate.
To read the rest of “Mainers are using two voting methods this year. It’s causing confusion.,” an article by contributing Bangor Daily News staff writer Michael Shepherd, please follow this link to the BDN online.
