Maine Senate advances Sen. Reny bill to honor voters’ will by expanding ranked-choice voting to gubernatorial and legislative elections

AUGUSTA — On Tuesday, June 10, the Maine Senate voted to advance LD 1666, “An Act to Include in the Ranked-choice Election Method for General and Special Elections the Offices of Governor, State Senator and State Representative and to Make Other Related Changes.” This bill, sponsored by Sen. Cameron Reny, D-Bristol, would expand ranked-choice voting (RCV) to gubernatorial and state legislative elections. The vote was 20 to 14 in favor.

“Our democracy is meant to reflect the will of Maine’s voters, and that’s what this bill does,” said Sen. Reny. “The Maine people voted to adopt ranked-choice voting in both 2016 and 2018, yet they still cannot use it in all elections. RCV ensures that the candidate with the broadest popular support would win in a single election. A consistent system of electing state and federal officials through ranked-choice voting would respect the will of the voters and honor the important history behind our state constitution. I appreciate the Senate’s support of Maine’s democratic values.”

LD 1666 seeks to make technical changes to ensure Maine’s statutory language aligns more clearly with the state’s constitution. In 2017, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court found that RCV appeared to conflict with provisions in the Maine Constitution that require certain elections be decided by a “plurality” of the vote. However, the non-binding opinion appeared to assume that a voter’s “first-preference ranking” was equivalent to the voter’s “vote.”

Since then, several organizations, including the Alaska Supreme Court and the Federal Elections Commission, have determined that there is a distinction between a preference and a vote, and that RCV does not contradict the spirit of plurality elections. LD 1666 would clarify Maine’s statutory language regarding how RCV can be used for gubernatorial and state legislative elections so that it is consistent with the text, history and purpose of the state constitution.

LD 1666 received strong support from Maine voters, election officials, and voting rights advocates at its public hearing on April 24. In her testimony in support of the bill, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said, “The deepest value of ranked-choice voting is that it allows voters to vote their heart, rather than their fears. … In 2016, Maine voters made their voices heard at the ballot box [… and it] is about time that Maine election laws match what Maine voters supported in that election.”

In testimony supporting the bill, Al Cleveland, Advocacy Director of the League of Women Voters of Maine, said, “This bill would give consistency to Maine voters in the voting process they are using for elections. In 2024, Maine successfully conducted [ranked-choice] elections for the fourth consecutive election cycle. What we see is clear: a majority of voters like RCV and want it to continue to be a feature of Maine elections. … It is time to end the practice of using different voting systems for federal candidates and state candidates appearing on the same general election ballot.”

LD 1666 now faces additional votes in the Senate and House.

Sen. Reny represents Senate District 13, which includes most of Lincoln County and the towns of Washington and Windsor.

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