I am writing in support of ballot question No. 5, Ranked Choice Voting, to restore majority rule within Maine’s political system.

When I first heard about it, I was unfamiliar with Ranked Choice Voting. After researching it a bit more, the concept of ranking candidates in order of preference sounded good, but the realization and logistics were still not clear to me. Fortunately, I recently had the opportunity to experience ranked choice first hand in the “beer election” that was presented by the Committee for Ranked Choice Voting.

The process was straightforward. We were given four beers to rank according to our taste. My first choice was akin to voting for a third-party candidate. For the style of beer, it was very well done, though not likely a populous beer. After all the ballots were cast, no beer garnered a 50 percent majority.

The fact that my first choice gained the least support meant that my second choice was used, and the ballots were recounted. After the recount, a clear majority emerged. This was E-A-S-Y, and allowed me to cast my vote without concern of contributing to a spoiler candidate.

The more options we have, the more power we have. So while other states push for voter disenfranchisement, suppression and purges, let us in Maine lead the way towards increasing voter choice. Vote YES on ballot question No. 5.

John Miller
Eliot