It is Time to Implement Ranked Choice Voting

Recently the Maine State Supreme Court released its opinion on the State Senate’s Solemn Occasion request on the Ranked Choice Voting law passed at at the second largest referendum in Maine’s history last fall. The court ruled that RCV for general election state offices, including Governor, state senate, and state house races, conflicts with the constitution’s plurality provision. RCV is still the law of the land here in Maine, and there is no conflict in federal elections. The court’s opinion is just that, not a ruling, but an opinion. In their opinion, the court lays out how the legislature could rectify the situation by either advancing a state constitutional amendment or repealing the portion of the law that conflicts with their opinion.

Very soon two RCV bills will be reviewed by Maine lawmakers. One bill — LD 1624 seeks to amend the Maine Constitution to correct the question regarding plurality; the other — LD1625 seeks to abolish the law.

The time for the implementation of RCV is now. For example, four decades of Maine gubernatorial elections have largely resulted in a candidate winning an election by getting as little as 35 percent of the vote. The result is elected officials who are often delegitimized by the majority of voters who did not choose them, and legislative leadership that may question their authority. The will of the people is very clear here. We must block the repeal of RCV and insist that our legislators pass the amendment which will ease the implementation of this law.

Denise Schwartz,
Harpswell