MHPC Asks Governor Mills to Veto Bill Expanding Ranked-Choice Voting to Presidential Primary and General Elections

PORTLAND, Maine – The Maine Heritage Policy Center today sent a letter to Governor Janet Mills asking her to veto LD 1083, “An Act To Implement Ranked-choice Voting for Presidential Primary and General Elections in Maine.” The letter reads in part:

“Dear Governor Mills,

On behalf of more than 10,000 supporters, followers and activists of The Maine Heritage Policy Center, I respectfully request that you veto LD 1083, ‘An Act To Implement Ranked-choice Voting for Presidential Primary and General Elections in Maine.’

We recently released an analysis (attached to this letter) that examines the data and outcomes of 96 ranked-choice voting elections held throughout the country. In the average ranked-choice voting election, 11 percent of ballots are thrown out due to ballot exhaustion. This causes the average winner of these elections to win with a fake majority of the votes cast on Election Day approximately 61 percent of the time.

Most troubling, our research found that the information costs of ranked-choice voting disenfranchise minority voters and voters with less education, the same individuals who are already less likely to participate in our elections.

LD 1083 is impractical in its application and will impose new costs on our state. It is clear Republicans have no interest in using ranked-choice voting and the system may not be applicable to the Democratic presidential primary.

Please take this information into consideration when you make your decision on LD 1083. It is our belief that ranked-choice voting is the wrong path forward for Maine, and we are counting on you to stop the expansion of this voting system in Maine.”

Included with the letter were signatures from nearly 300 Maine residents who oppose the expansion of ranked-choice voting and a copy of the Center’s newest report, “A False Majority: The Failed Experiment of Ranked-Choice Voting.” The full letter can be read here.

Governor Mills has 10 days from the passage of LD 1083 on Monday, August 26 to sign the bill, veto it or allow it to become law without her signature.

“Thousands of Maine citizens oppose the expansion of ranked-choice voting and Governor Mills should hear their real concerns,” said CEO Matthew Gagnon. “This voting system does not do what we were promised and its expansion under LD 1083 will only make our elections more costly and complex.” 

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The Maine Heritage Policy Center (MHPC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and education organization dedicated to freeing people from dependency, creating prosperity, and redefining the role of government. MHPC formulates and promotes free-market public policies in the areas of health care, education, regulations, government transparency and tax and fiscal policy. To learn more about MHPC or review our policy work, visit: www.mainepolicy.org