It’s not too late to extend ranked-choice voting — that triumph of logic and democracy Mainers keep saying yes to over and over again — for this March’s presidential primaries and the 2020 general election. I’m grateful to Sen. Troy Jackson for sponsoring L.D. 1083 and to my senator, Shenna Bellows, and all her colleagues who support it (“Maine Senate passes ranked-choice voting for March presidential primaries,” Aug. 26).
Now I ask that Gov. Janet Mills sign this bill right away so we can rank our many (many!) options for president of the United States. With 20-some Democratic candidates and at least three Republicans on the coming ballot, we must avoid vote-splitting — a problem common in crowded primaries and three-party general elections.
L.D. 1083 is a simple expansion of our existing ranked-choice voting system, which worked so splendidly in 2018 that six other states are adopting it for their 2020 presidential primaries. In exit polls, voters in 2018 said they found the system easy to use. No wonder it was protected at the ballot box that year by a widening eight-point margin of voter support.
The step is important but not radical. Our current election law gives us ranked-choice voting for every federal primary and general election in Maine except for the presidential election. L.D. 1083 would align the letter of the law with the intent of Maine voters who want ranked choice so we can fairly choose our single most powerful elected official.
Gillian Burnes
Gardiner
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