| David Daley | Salon |
As Maine voters of both parties select their nominees this week, candidates across the political spectrum are demonstrating just how deeply ranked choice voting has become woven into the state’s politics.
The new normal
That would have been almost unthinkable pre-RCV. Now, there is room for coalition building, not just old-school negative politics. This change is especially striking given Maine’s history. After the state adopted RCV, LePage questioned its legitimacy. In 2018, when Democrat Jared Golden defeated GOP incumbent Bruce Poliquin in the state’s 2nd congressional district (which Donald Trump has carried three times), Poliquin sued unsuccessfully to overturn the result.
Now, just as Democrats have encouraged voters to rank candidates in the same lane, Republicans are forming alliances, seeking second-choice support and competing more widely for every vote. RCV is the new normal. Now, the debate is how to compete within the new system that voters successfully demanded.
That may be the most powerful measure of a reform’s success. The incentive structure has changed in Maine, and with it, the way that candidates campaign. Just as voters wanted.