Major Opponent of Maine Ranked Choice Voting Tells Lawmakers to Reject Full Repeal

image
Shawn M GriffithsShawn M Griffiths
Published: 20 Jun, 2017
1 min read

Maine State Senator Michael Carpenter pinned an op-ed for the Bangor Daily News Tuesday that calls on lawmakers not to repeal the voter-approved ranked choice voting statute, but instead find compromise.

Carpenter, a former state attorney general, initially co-sponsored the bill that calls for full repeal, but after listening to voters in public hearings and "reviewing the facts," he had a change of heart.

"Lawmakers should not overrule the more than 388,000 Maine people from across the political spectrum who voted last November to enact ranked-choice voting, the second largest referendum vote in our state's history," Carpenter writes.

He added, "As I heard from some of the voters in public testimony, I realized they were rightfully astonished and offended by the prospect of full repeal. There is an opportunity for middle ground."

ALSO READ: Maine Voters Respond: Respect Our Vote, Don’t Repeal Ranked Choice Voting

The middle ground? Move forward with ranked choice voting in federal and primary elections (70% of elections under ranked choice voting), where there is no state constitutional conflict. Then amend the constitution for the three state elections the Maine Supreme Court says ranked choice voting does not comply with the state constitution.

"I did not support Question 5 (RCV initiative), and I do not like ranked-choice voting as a policy today. But like U.S. Sen. Angus King, who expressed his concern about a full repeal of the law in an interview with Maine Public last week, I do not wish to instigate any further distrust in the political process or in government as a whole," says Carpenter.

Read the full op-ed here.

Photo Source: Maine Public

You Might Also Like

broken california map
EXCLUSIVE: California Commissioner Says Lawmakers Gutted Their Funding BEFORE Prop 50
The fate of California’s independently drawn congressional districts will be decided on November 4, when voters weigh in on a legislative gerrymander and the suspension of congressional maps from the state's independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC) under Proposition 50....
08 Oct, 2025
-
8 min read
fl-let-us-vote
Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Opening Florida’s Primaries to 3.4M Independent Voters
A new statewide poll finds near-unanimous agreement among both Democratic and independent voters that Florida’s primaries should be opened to the state’s 3.4 million “No Party Affiliation” (NPA) voters who are currently shut out of taxpayer-funded elections....
10 Oct, 2025
-
3 min read
Proposition 50 voter guide
California Prop 50: Partisan Power Play or Necessary Counterpunch?
November 4 marks a special election for what has become the most controversial ballot measure in California in recent memory: Proposition 50, which would circumvent congressional districts drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission for a legislative-drawn map....
01 Oct, 2025
-
9 min read