Sen. Dick Woodbury and Rep. Diane Russell have been meeting with a working group convened by the League of Women Voters to develop a proposal for ranked-choice voting (RCV).
CLICK HERE to read the CITIZEN REFERENDUM ON RANKED CHOICE VOTING Language Approved by the Secretary of State.
These two civic leaders have now launched an ambitious campaign to collect up to 75,000 petition signatures to bring RCV reform to a public referendum.
On Election Day, they collected about 36,000 signatures in support of ranked-choice voting. They are now recruiting volunteers to collect the remainder by the middle of December.
The group, the Committee for Ranked Choice Voting, must collect 10 percent of the total number of votes cast during the most recent gubernatorial election, or about 60,000, to force a statewide referendum. If the group wants to put it on the ballot for 2015, the deadline for signatures is Jan. 22, but 2016 is an option as well.
The Maine Secretary of State’s Office estimated that implementing ranked-choice voting would cost the state $837,270 in the 2017-2018 fiscal year, and $714,388 in the following fiscal year.
Those costs would cover printing an additional ballot page, updating and leasing new ballot tabulation machines and related equipment, and hiring two contract workers to oversee the vote-counting process.
If the citizens initiative is successful, Maine would be the first state in the nation to adopt an alternative vote-counting system for state, gubernatorial and federal elections.
Examples of U.S. state and local governments using RCV
• Arkansas (only overseas voters in runoffs): Adopted in 2005, used since 2006.
• Alabama (only overseas voters in primary runoff): By agreement with a federal court, used in special election for U.S. House, 2013.
• California: Adopted in Berkeley in 2004 and first used in 2010 in elections for mayor, city council and other city offices. Adopted in Oakland in 2006 and first used in 2010 for 18 offices, including mayor and city council. Adopted in San Francisco in 2012, first used in 2004 and used every November election since then for Board of Supervisors, mayor and four six other citywide offices. Adopted in San Leandro in 2000 charter amendment and first used in 2010 and every two years since for mayor and city council.
• Colorado: Adopted in Telluride in 2008 and first used in 2011 for mayoral elections. Adopted in Basalt in 2002 and to be used in any mayoral election with more than three candidates.
• Louisiana (only overseas and out-of-state military voters in federal and state general election elections): Adopted and used since the 1990s.
• Maine: Adopted in Portland in 2010 and used in 2011 for mayoral election.
• Maryland: Adopted in Takoma Park in 2006 and first used in 2007, with elections every two years for mayor and city council.
• Minnesota: Adopted in Minneapolis in 2006 and first used in 2009 in elections for 22 offices, including mayor and city council. St. Paul in 2009, first used in 2011 and to be used every two years mayor and city council.
• South Carolina (only for overseas voters in federal and state primary runoffs): Adopted and first used in 2006 in federal and state primary elections.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!
Michael H. Drucker
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