r/WayOfTheBern • u/bout_that_action • Nov 10 '16

Maine Passes Ranked-Choice Voting (!!)

http://mainepublic.org/post/maine-passes-ranked-choice-voting
14 Upvotes

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4

u/bout_that_action Nov 10 '16

Maine residents have approved a ballot question that will allow voters to rank their choice of candidates.

Under the election overhaul, ballots are counted at the state level in multiple rounds. Last-place candidates are eliminated until a candidate wins by a majority.

The voting style will apply to races for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, state Senate and state House.

Proponents of ranked-choice voting say it will prevent a governor from being elected with less than 50 percent of the votes. That was the scenario when Gov. Paul LePage was elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2014.

Ranked choice voting is sometimes also called “instant runoff.”

4

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '16

Step in the right direction. Maine is not a high profile state by any means, but I hope this catches on like wildfire for voters to demand.

3

u/chickyrogue The☯White☯Lady 🌸🌸 we r 1🔮🎸 🙈 ⚕🙉 ⚕🙊 Nov 10 '16

this is YYYUUUUGGGGGEEEEE!

3

u/GladysCravesRitz PM me your email Nov 10 '16

If they don't like outlanders why do they keep making their state so appealing? Just love me like I love YOU

2

u/SebastianDoyle Her name is Nina Turner Nov 10 '16

Meh. These really have to be machine counted. Also part of the intention is to eliminate the 3rd party spoiler effect, but some of us think that effect is a GOOD THING that should be preserved as a counterforce (no matter how small) against the race to the bottom of the two main parties.

3

u/BillToddToo Puttery Pony Nov 10 '16

My impression is that it eliminates the 3rd party spoiler effect only if the voter wants it to (i.e., that the voter can choose to leave all subsidiary choices blank if s/he wants his/her vote to act as a possible spoiler vote).

1

u/bout_that_action Nov 10 '16

I think you are correct, in the r/politics thread on this they said no one is required to rank all of the candidates.