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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST SPECIAL SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 1666S.P. 660 In Senate, April 17, 2025
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
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator RENY of Lincoln.
Cosponsored by Representative SUPICA of Bangor and
Senators: President DAUGHTRY of Cumberland, GROHOSKI of Hancock, HICKMAN of
Kennebec, PIERCE of Cumberland, TIPPING of Penobscot, Representative: MOONEN of
Portland. Page 1 - 132LR1668(01)
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2 is enacted to read:
3 B-1. General and special elections for the offices of Governor, State Senator and State
4 Representative;
5 as enacted by IB 2015, c. 3, §2, is amended
6 to read:
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8 votes and tabulating votes ballots in which voters rank candidates in order of preference,
9 tabulation proceeds in sequential rounds in which the last-place candidates are defeated
10 candidate is eliminated and the continuing candidate with the highest continuing ranking
11 on the most votes ballots in the final round of tabulation is determined to have received a
12 plurality of the votes cast and is elected.
13 is enacted to read:
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15 votes and tabulating ballots in which voters may indicate only one candidate preference
16 and tabulation proceeds by combining the totals of preferences indicated for each
17 candidate, and the candidate that receives the most votes is determined to have received a
18 plurality of the votes cast and is elected.
19 as amended by PL 2019, c. 320, §4, is
20 further amended to read:
21 A. The voting instruction poster must include information on how to mark the ballot,
22 including how to mark a write-in vote or ranking; how to replace the ballot if the voter
23 makes a mistake; and how to receive assistance in marking the ballot. It may include
24 other voting information. The Secretary of State may design separate instruction
25 posters to instruct the voters on how to mark a ballot for elections to be determined by
26 voting and those to be determined by plurality single-choice voting.
27 as amended by PL 2019, c. 320, §7, is further
28 amended to read:
29 As soon as the results of the election have been declared, the election return must be
30 prepared. The warden at each ward or precinct shall fill out the election return form
31 provided by the Secretary of State, showing the number of votes cast for each candidate or
32 question and recording the total number of state ballots cast in that ward or precinct. For
33 elections determined by voting, the warden shall report on the election return
34 only the first choice votes cast number of ballots on which each candidate has the
35 first-choice ranking. The warden and one other election official shall sign the return and
36 immediately deliver it to the municipal clerk. The form provided by the Secretary of State
37 must include the names of all candidates, including declared write-in candidates as
38 determined by section 722‑A
39 as amended by PL 2019, c. 320, §8, is further
40 amended to read:
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42 votes cast for nomination to any office, as long as there is at least one vote cast for that Page 2 - 132LR1668(01)
43 office, is nominated for that office, except for write-in candidates under paragraph A and
44 elections determined by voting under . For an election determined by ranked-
45 choice voting, the person who receives a plurality of the votes cast is determined according
46 to section 723‑A.
5 A. A write-in candidate who complies with section
6 qualifications under section 334 may be nominated at the primary election if that person
7 receives a number of valid write-in votes equal to at least twice the minimum number
8 of signatures required under section 335, subsection 5 on a primary petition for a
9 candidate for that office.
10 B. The Secretary of State shall immediately certify by mail the nomination of each
11 person nominated by the primary election.
12 as amended by PL 2017, c. 316, §7, is further
13 amended to read:
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15 voting, the person who receives a plurality of the votes cast for election to any office, as
16 long as there is at least one vote cast for that office, is elected to that office, except that a
17 write-in candidate must also comply with section . For an election determined by
18 ranked-choice voting, the person who receives a plurality of the votes cast is determined
19 according to section 723-A.
20 as amended by PL 2023, c. 628, §1, is
21 further amended to read:
22 C. "Continuing candidate" means a candidate who has not been removed from
23 consideration eliminated.
24 as amended by PL 2019, c. 320, §9, is
25 further amended to read:
26 F. "Last-place candidate" means the candidate with the highest continuing ranking on
27 the fewest votes ballots in a round of the ranked-choice voting count.
28 as enacted by IB 2015, c. 3, §5, is
29 amended to read:
30 I. "Ranking" means the number assigned on a ballot by a voter to a candidate to express
31 the voter's preference for that candidate relative to the other candidates on the ballot.
32 The ranking on a voter's ballot is an instruction from the voter on the relative order in
33 which a voter intends the ballot to count. Ranking number one is the highest ranking,
34 ranking number 2 is the next-highest ranking and so on.
35 as amended by PL 2019, c. 320, §11,
36 is further amended to read:
37 J. "Round" means an instance of the sequence of vote ballot counting steps established
38 in subsection 2 and in rules adopted by the Secretary of State.
39 as amended by PL 2023, c. 628, §2, is
40 further amended to read:
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2 are used to determine the winner of an election determined by ranked-choice voting. The
3 voting ballot count must proceed in rounds. In each round, the number of
4 votes for each continuing candidate must be counted. Each continuing ballot counts as one
5 vote for its highest-ranked continuing candidate for that round. Exhausted ballots are not
6 counted for any continuing candidate. The round then ends with one of the following 2
7 potential outcomes.
8 A. If there are 2 or fewer continuing candidates, the ranked-choice voting count is
9 complete and each ballot counts as one vote for its highest-ranked continuing candidate
10 and the candidate with the most receiving a plurality of the votes cast is declared the
11 winner of the election elected.
12 B. If there are more than 2 continuing candidates, the last-place candidate is removed
13 from consideration eliminated and a new round begins.
14 as amended by PL 2017, c. 316, §9, is
15 further amended to read:
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17 in the State pertaining to the rights of political parties, the number of votes cast for a party's
18 candidate for an office determined by ranked-choice voting is the number of votes credited
19 to ballots upon which that candidate after the initial counting is the highest-ranked
20 continuing candidate in the first round of counting described in subsection 2.
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22 This bill provides for ranked-choice voting for general and special elections for the
23 offices of Governor, State Senator and State Representative and clarifies the definition of
24 "ranked-choice voting" by changing the use of the terms "vote" and "ballot," and provides
25 that the winner of an election in which ranked-choice voting is conducted is the winner by
26 a plurality of the votes.
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