Rank choice voting was on the ballot twice in Maine, as a “citizen’s initiative.”
Both times, a majority of voters in Maine’s Second Congressional District (80% of Maine) voted “no,” but enough voters in Maine’s more liberal First Congressional District voted “yes,” so it passed.
Rank choice was aimed at Maine’s previous governor, conservative Paul LePage. But a judge ruled that Rank Choice Voting violated Maine’s Constitution, which allows elections by a plurality.
But Rank Choice Voting was ruled OK for federal elections.
The two minor candidates, Tiffany Bond and William Hoar, together received 8% of the vote.
Incumbent GOP candidate Bruce Poliquin and democrat challenger Jared Golden, a former Marine who served in Afghanistan, each received 46% of the vote. Poliquin had 2,500 more votes than Golden, but under rank choice voting a candidate has to have at least 50.1% to avoid “Rank choice” from kicking in.
People like me engaged in “bullet” voting, meaning I chose only one candidate...one for the House, one for the U.S. Senate. I had no second, third or fourth choice.
The votes cast for Tiffany Bond and William Hoar, both liberals, after weeks of counting, were allocated for the voters second choice, and most of them went to the democrat challenger, who then broke 50.1%.
Congressman Bruce Poliquin sued in federal court and lost. He eventually conceded. I wish this mess had gone to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Thank you for the explanation. I am very sorry to hear that this blatantly unconstitutional method of voting has been allowed by the courts.
I am not sure that SCOTUS would have overruled.
You KNOW that this BS voting method will be adopted by other states, ensuring that LIEberal Democrats never lose again!
Scary stuff!