Bill > LD1666

This bill modifies Maine's election laws to expand ranked-choice voting to general and special elections for Governor, State Senator, and State Representative. The bill clarifies several definitions related to voting methods, introducing a new term "single-choice voting" to distinguish it from ranked-choice voting. In ranked-choice voting, voters can rank candidates in order of preference, and if no candidate receives a majority in the first round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their voters' ballots are redistributed to their next-ranked choices. This process continues until one candidate receives a plurality of votes. The bill also updates various procedural aspects of election reporting, such as how ballots are counted and reported, and modifies language around voting instructions and candidate elimination. The changes aim to provide more nuanced voting options for voters and a potentially more representative election outcome by allowing voters to express preferences beyond a single candidate selection. The bill maintains the fundamental principle that the candidate with the most votes ultimately wins the election, but introduces a more complex method of determining those votes through multiple rounds of vote redistribution.

Military Affairs and Security

https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?LD=1666&snum=132