Update: Ranked Choice Voting in Maine

Saturday, March 11, 2023
Jen Lancaster

 

The League of Women Voters of Maine has endorsed Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) since 2011. We've fought for its expansion, defended it when under threat, and now we're in a new age where Maine municipalities can choose to adopt it for their local elections.

 

Ranked Choice Voting Update —                 
What does the future look like?

 

1Read the guide.             
Everyone should feel empowered to bring change to their community. And for those who want to give voters more choice — and more voice — we've published a RCV Toolkit. The guide is a resource that explains what it takes, the mechanics of how it works, and how to produce a winning RCV campaign. We're here to help expand RCV across Maine for municipal elections. Read the toolkit here

 

Attend our webinar.             
The League has been hard at work producing our Ranked Choice Voting toolkit, a guide that details the process for enacting RCV at the municipal level. To help breakdown the guide and answer questions, we've put together an informal webinar for Wednesday, March 15 at noon. If the guide has piqued your interest, or if you've long thought of how your town could use RCV, this webinar is for you. Click here to sign up

 

3Write testimony. Defend RCV.             
Every Legislative Session there are good and bad Ranked Choice Voting bills. LD 1038 was introduced that would repeal RCV. We obviously oppose this bill. We know that RCV allows more candidates outside the two parties to participate, creates a richer dialogue on the issues, and encourages cooperation among the candidates. Its public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, March 22. We encourage you to submit written testimony on LD 1038, saying that you oppose this bad bill and fully support RCV. Use our guide to get started.

Everyone should feel comfortable participating in the Legislative process. If writing testimony feels intimidating or you're not sure where to start, then we're here to help. Email us at will@lwvme.org.