The Maine House passed an amended version of the full repeal bill Tuesday that would implement ranked choice voting for U.S. House and primary elections, where there is no state constitutional conflict. The bill would allow the legislature to address the need for a constitutional amendment for three state general elections at a later date.
The House vote followed shortly after the Maine Senate passed full repeal which would kill the voter-approved initiative. The House is doing exactly what thousands of Mainers contacted their legislators to do.
The bill -- which would implement ranked choice voice voting in a majority of elections -- is supported by an initial co-sponsor of the full repeal bill, the state's biggest newspapers, U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), and the voters who came out in droves to protect ranked choice voting.
The fate of ranked choice voting is still up in the air as the Senate and the House have two conflicting paths forward. Legislators may need to form a special committee to negotiate the legislature's final actions on Maine ranked choice voting before the session ends.
Photo retrieved from the Portland Press Herald