Maine Supreme Judicial Court Rules Against Expansion of Ranked-Choice Voting in State Elections
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that a Democratic proposal to expand the use of ranked-choice voting in the state would violate the Maine Constitution. The court's opinion came in response to an attempt to apply ranked-choice voting to elections for governor and the Legislature. Ranked-choice voting has been used in primaries for state and federal office, as well as general elections for Congress, but has never been used in general elections for state office due to a constitutional conflict.
In a 30-page ruling, the court reiterated its position that the Maine Constitution requires elections for state office to be decided by a plurality, meaning the candidate with the most votes wins. The court's decision is likely to thwart efforts to expand the use of ranked-choice voting in Maine, as it would conflict with the constitutional provision.
The Maine Senate sought the court's opinion on the matter while considering a bill from Sen. Cameron Reny, a Democrat from Bristol, that aimed to change definitions in the law to allow the winner of a ranked-choice voting contest to also be considered a plurality winner. However, Attorney General Aaron Frey, along with legislative Republicans, argued that the proposal was unconstitutional.
Despite support from top Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups such as the League of Women Voters of Maine and FairVote, the court's ruling is a setback for those seeking to expand the use of ranked-choice voting in Maine. The decision underscores the importance of adhering to the state constitution's provisions regarding election procedures and outcomes.