Maine governor says he ‘probably’ won’t certify results of ranked-choice primary

[Swordsmyth]

The Republican governor of Maine is saying he may not certify the results of the state's primary elections on Tuesday.
Gov. Paul LePage (R) said he may decide against certifying the results because of an objection to the state's new ranked-choice system, where voters submit a ballot that ranks votes for candidates in order of preference, according to WCSH-TV.

LePage told the news outlet that the newly installed voting system is "the most horrific thing in the world” and that he "probably" wouldn't certify the results. He said he'd instead let the courts decide.

#BREAKING (https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw): @Governor_LePage (https://twitter.com/Governor_LePage?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) tells me he will 'PROBABLY NOT' certify the results of today's election, will 'leave it up to the courts to decide'—calling ranked-choice voting the 'most horrific thing in the world.' #NEWSCENTERmaine (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NEWSCENTERmaine?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) pic.twitter.com/wrKSofz7ov (https://t.co/wrKSofz7ov)
— Zach Blanchard (@ZachBlanchard) June 12, 2018 (https://twitter.com/ZachBlanchard/status/1006546814693249024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)Maine is using the ranked-choice system for both parties' gubernatorial candidates. In addition, it is being utilized for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House in the state’s 2nd Congressional District, as well as a state legislative seat.
“Maine people continually to be [sic] snookered by out-of-state big money and out-of-state people," LePage said, referring to the measure in 2016 that led to ranked-choice voting in the state.
In addition to primary voting, ranked-choice voting will be on the ballot on Tuesday.

More at: http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/391836-gop-maine-governor-says-he-probably-wont-certify-results-of-ranked-choice

[Zippyjuan]

They decided to try ranked voting in response to how their governor was elected. But he is terming out anyways. Interesting that they are voting on whether or not to keep ranked voting on the same ballot they are using it for the first time- no chance to see if they like it or not or how it works.

https://www.vox.com/2018/6/12/17448450/maine-ranked-choice-voting-paul-lepage-instant-runoff-2018-midterms


Maine voters blew up their voting system and started from scratch


Thanks to the election and reelection of controversial Republican Gov. Paul LePage with less than a majority of the vote, Maine is trying out a whole new method of voting on Tuesday.

Maine is the first state in the nation to use ranked-choice voting (also known as instant-runoff voting) in a statewide election. It’s largely seen as a rebuttal to LePage, who was elected in 2010 with less than 40 percent of the vote and reelected four years later with less than 50 percent. Besides being known for his obscenity-laced language, the governor has used his power to drag out the implementation of the state’s Medicaid expansion, which passed overwhelmingly on a ballot initiative last year.

Depending on whom you ask, the new method of voting, which allows voters to rank their candidates from favorite to least favorite, is either a push toward a more democratic system or a logistical hellscape.

In ranked voting, if one candidate gets a majority — 50 percent plus 1 — of the vote, they’re declared the winner. But things start to get tricky if no candidate clears the threshold.

That could be especially difficult on Tuesday, when there are a ton of people on the ballot. In the governor’s race alone, there are seven Democrats and four Republicans lining up to replace LePage, who is term-limited. There will also be ranked-choice voting for the nominees running for Congress in Maine’s Second Congressional District, as well as a state House race.

At the very least, we should expect a later voting night than normal in Maine, which typically would have some of the earliest returns on Election Day.


California had 32 candidates for governor in their primary.