Post by Logan on Jan 20, 2016 19:57:50 GMT -6
Maine election official, lawmakers question legality of ranked-choice voting proposal
AUGUSTA — A ballot question that would swap Maine’s traditional election system for one in which seats in Congress and the State House are filled by ranked-choice voting could violate the Maine Constitution, a top state election official said.
Deputy Secretary of State Julie Flynn, the longtime head of the elections office, said the issue involves whether Maine’s governor and legislators can be chosen by a majority of votes, rather than a plurality, as the Constitution provides. She said she’s concerned that if voters approve the ranked-choice system in November, candidates elected under the system could be challenged in court.
Flynn said her office has discussed the issue with the Maine Attorney General’s Office and has been advised that the agency “is in agreement with our concerns about constitutionality.”
Kyle Bailey, the campaign manager for the Committee for Ranked Choice Voting, a state organization that gathered the signatures to put the question to voters, said the campaign consulted with legal experts and was assured that the system is constitutional. Bailey said that while the Constitution makes specific mention of a plurality as the determining factor in State House and gubernatorial races, a system that selects winners with a majority would satisfy the requirement.
Continued at www.pressherald.com/2016/01/20/maine-election-official-lawmakers-question-legality-of-ranked-choice-voting-proposal/
AUGUSTA — A ballot question that would swap Maine’s traditional election system for one in which seats in Congress and the State House are filled by ranked-choice voting could violate the Maine Constitution, a top state election official said.
Deputy Secretary of State Julie Flynn, the longtime head of the elections office, said the issue involves whether Maine’s governor and legislators can be chosen by a majority of votes, rather than a plurality, as the Constitution provides. She said she’s concerned that if voters approve the ranked-choice system in November, candidates elected under the system could be challenged in court.
Flynn said her office has discussed the issue with the Maine Attorney General’s Office and has been advised that the agency “is in agreement with our concerns about constitutionality.”
Kyle Bailey, the campaign manager for the Committee for Ranked Choice Voting, a state organization that gathered the signatures to put the question to voters, said the campaign consulted with legal experts and was assured that the system is constitutional. Bailey said that while the Constitution makes specific mention of a plurality as the determining factor in State House and gubernatorial races, a system that selects winners with a majority would satisfy the requirement.
Continued at www.pressherald.com/2016/01/20/maine-election-official-lawmakers-question-legality-of-ranked-choice-voting-proposal/