The League of Women Voters of Maine announced results of an on-line survey asking how voters liked using ranked choice voting in the June 12 primary.
The informal survey does not purport to represent the views of the population as a whole but provides a useful snapshot of voter attitude coming out of the primary. The results and robust response rate -- over 650 participants -- reveal broad satisfaction with the use of RCV. Findings include:
- Only 8 percent of respondents had ever used RCV in a previous election.
- More than 94 percent of respondents took the opportunity to rank their candidates instead of voting for just one.
- More than 90 percent of respondents said that their experience using RCV in the primary was either “excellent” or “good.”
- Only 4 percent of respondents said that their voting experience diminished their view of RCV.
“This survey is consistent with what we have been saying all along -- voters are empowered by ranked choice voting, and it is an option they wish to preserve,” said Jill Ward, President of the LWVME. “The overwhelming majority of the comments we received through the survey were positive,” said Ward. “The League will be analyzing those comments in the coming days, but it’s clear that ranked choice voting is here to stay.”
The League credits the Secretary of State for implementing ranked choice voting under time pressure and with the eyes of the nation upon Maine. “We salute the clerks, wardens, volunteers, and others who made the election go smoothly and are assured that the counting of RCV results in the coming days will be conducted with the same professionalism,” said Ward.
For the last six months the League of Women Voters of Maine Education Fund has been conducting a public education project, “Maine Uses Ranked Choice Voting,” for the purpose of educating voters and others involved in the June election. Learn more about RCV at Maine Uses RCV’s website: www.mainerankedchoice.vote. Please also visitwww.LWVME.org and www.mainecleanelections.org for information about the organizations behind this project.
More information on the survey is below.
Editor's Note: this article originally published on FairVote's blog on June 15, 2018.