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# Maine Senate President Stabs Voters in the Back
- URL: https://ivn.us/maine-senate-president-stabs-voters-in-the-back/
- Published: 2017-05-31T20:47:06.000Z
- Updated: 2026-06-22T19:58:05.000Z
- Author: Ned White
- Tags: News

## Maine Senate President Thibodeau (R-Waldo County) DENIES consideration of Rep. Ackley’s RCV bill.

Wow. Michael Thibodeau, Republican senator from Waldo County and president of the Senate, just gave Rep. Kent Ackley and Maine voters a major league shaft. He **denied** permission to circulate a ballot among the Legislative Council for Ackley’s bill to make [ranked choice voting](https://ivn.us/tag/ranked-choice-voting) (RCV) constitutional.

Ackley’s RCV bill would pave the way for ranked choice voting -- as approved by [53% of Maine voters last November](https://ivn.us/2016/11/09/ranked-choice-voting-advocates-celebrate-historic-victory-in-maine/) \-- to be used in primary and federal elections, but not for statewide general elections, which the Supreme Court said are [constitutionally out of bounds](https://ivn.us/2017/05/23/breaking-maine-supreme-court-says-ranked-choice-voting-unconstitutional/).

Ackley’s bill simply upholds what the voters wanted – outside of statewide general elections.

Just a few days ago, Legislative Council unanimously approved two opposing RCV bills to go to the legislature for discussion and votes.

*I have phone calls in to both Senate Democrats and Sen Thibodeau’s office and am awaiting further details.*

*Editor’s note: This article [originally published](https://wp.me/p4cnNN-KJ?ref=ivn.us) on Ned White’s blog, “[Journeys over a Hot Stove](http://hotstove.bangordailynews.com/?ref=ivn.us),” part of the BDN Network. It has been modified slightly for publication on IVN and was republished with permission from the author.*

*Photo Credit: [Nagel Photography](https://www.shutterstock.com/g/Nagel+Photography?ref=ivn.us) / [shutterstock.com](https://www.shutterstock.com/?ref=ivn.us)*