Maine Legislature backs switch to presidential primary, but leaves ranked-choice change in limbo

AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Legislature backed bills to expand the state’s novel system of ranked-choice voting to pick the winners of new presidential primaries and the general election, but adjourned for 2019 on Thursday leaving the ranked-choice switch in limbo.

The Democratic-led Legislature made the change on Wednesday, the last day of the 2019 legislative session in two bills that snuck up on many. After an initial vote, the Maine Republican Party issued an email alert saying Democrats “are trying to ram this through at the last minute.”

Ranked-choice voting has been a deeply partisan issue, particularly since U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine’s 2nd District, narrowly beat Republican incumbent Bruce Poliquin in a 2018 race that was decided by the later-round choices from supporters who picked one of two longshot candidates as their first choice.

The Maine House of Representatives voted 86-59 on Wednesday after a 20-14 Senate vote for a bill applying the method to presidential elections, but the Legislature adjourned early Thursday without enacting it. The chambers did, however, send a bill to Gov. Janet Mills’ desk that would switch Maine from party-run nominating caucuses to a state-run primary in March.

Read more: https://bangordailynews.com/2019/06/19/politics/democratic-led-maine-legislature-backs-a-ranked-choice-presidential-election-in-2020/