There are at least four candidates running for president this year: the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton; the Republican nominee, Donald Trump; the Libertarian nominee, Gary Johnson; and the Green Party nominee, Jill Stein.
As you can see from this field, there won’t be a lack of choice. Instead, we will have to confront the realities of an election system that funnels voters into making a decision between the lesser of two evils.
In Maine, voters are already having the conversation about how to change this in order to fulfill the highest aspirations of a representative democracy. In November, Question 5 on the statewide ballot will ask voters to replace the current “winner-take-all” system with a more equitable system of Ranked Choice Voting for federal and state primary and general elections.
Simply put, Ranked Choice Voting would remove the fear factor from the voting process. Whether you identify as a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or Green, this system would allow you to support your favorite candidates without the fear of throwing your vote away and helping to elect the candidate you disagree with the most.
I urge all Mainers to rally behind this movement. Please vote “yes” on Question 5 in November.
Bobby Mills
Biddeford
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