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

image
Created: 20 Jun, 2017
Updated: 17 Oct, 2022
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

Latest articles

I voted stickers
Oklahoma City Mayor: Our Partisan Politics Is a Consequence of Partisan Primary Elections
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt sat down with former RNC chair and MSNBC commentator Michael Steele to talk about the difference between the partisan politics in DC versus the more pragmatic outcomes at the local level....
21 Jan, 2025
-
2 min read
Voter with glasses filling out their ballot.
Gallup: National Independent ID Remains at Record High
Gallup has released its annual look back at what party affiliation looked like in the previous year. What it found was independent ID remained steady at a record-high 43% from 2023 to 2024....
21 Jan, 2025
-
1 min read
Stacked US currency
Utah Senate Majority Leader Introduces Resolution to Protect State Sovereignty, Combat Foreign Influence in Elections
Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore last week introduced a resolution in support of a constitutional amendment designed to restore states' authority to regulate campaign finance laws. The announcement came just days before the anniversary of the infamous Citizens United Supreme Court ruling....
20 Jan, 2025
-
2 min read