| Opinion Contributor | Bangor Daily News |
Since 2017, Mainers have used ranked‑choice voting successfully in primary and federal elections. Voters understand it. Election officials administer it without a hitch. For many people, the real confusion now lies in the patchwork — ranked‑choice voting for some elections, but not for others. I believe a single, consistent system would simplify voting and strengthen confidence in our democratic process.
New legislation clarifying ranked‑choice voting makes explicit what voters already understand: Ranking candidates expresses preferences, and the vote is the final tabulation of those preferences.
The work is not done.
Maine has long been a leader in democratic innovation. Ranked‑choice voting is now part of our civic fabric. But the work is not done. Allowing all elections to operate under a single, coherent rubric would honor the will of the voters who adopted this reform and simplify participation for everyone. Most importantly, it would reaffirm a core democratic value: Maine should not be led by someone most voters opposed.
Jamie Kilbreth is a former chief deputy attorney general of Maine.