There are still some misguided politicians in Augusta attacking ranked-choice voting with a recently-submitted bill to repeal it in Maine. This should be quickly defeated.

Ranked-choice voting and other runoff voting systems are completely non-partisan and improve democracy by ensuring that winners better reflect the true will of the voters. Plurality voting in multi-candidate races invites the problem of vote-splitting and the spoiler effect which can result in “winners” who do not get a majority and do not reflect the true will of the majority.

In 2007 five Republicans and five Democrats introduced a bill to have ranked-choice voting in Maine (L.D. 585). In the 2020 Maine primaries, when ranked-choice voting was used in the multi-candidate Republican elections, there were no major problems with the process or the results. The Maine Republican Party uses a multi-round runoff voting system to elect its officers. The Virginia Republican Party uses ranked-choice voting for some of its primary elections. In some relatively recent mayoral elections in Lewiston, Republicans won because of the runoff voting system used there. Runoff elections are common, longstanding, and they work.

Negative myths about ranked-choice voting have been debunked time and again. It is not confusing. Many studies and reports show most people have no problem doing it. The ballots are clear and easy. And it has definitely not created “chaos” as predicted by some people.

Mainers have twice voted statewide in favor of ranked-choice voting. We have used it now several times with no major problems. No voting system is perfect. But runoff voting systems like ranked-choice voting do make for better democracy, and that is a positive.

 

Ron Bilancia

Brewer

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