Maine makes history

[Tartarus Sauce]

Freedom state!

[Person Man]

Freedom state!

[Zioneer]

The benefit to Democrats from picking up otherwise spoiled votes from progressive third-parties will be offset by decreased turnout from people who do not understand a ballot with ordinal choice.

Are Australians smarter than Americans? Because they seem to understand it just fine. It's not that hard to understand, you like one person the best so you have them as a first choice, and you like another person a little less, but still like them, so they're second, and a third or fourth you hate and don't want to win, so you have them last.

Really not a difficult idea.

[Young Conservative]

Probably a good call.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

The benefit to Democrats from picking up otherwise spoiled votes from progressive third-parties will be offset by decreased turnout from people who do not understand a ballot with ordinal choice.

Are Australians smarter than Americans? Because they seem to understand it just fine. It's not that hard to understand, you like one person the best so you have them as a first choice, and you like another person a little less, but still like them, so they're second, and a third or fourth you hate and don't want to win, so you have them last.

Really not a difficult idea.

Our politicians assume the voters are stupid. That's the reason Jerry Brown gave when he recently vetoed a bill to have IRV in California. Maybe he just doesn't like IRV because his pal Don Perata went from a 9 point lead in earlier rounds to a loss in the 2010 Oakland mayor election.

[Cynthia]

Freedom state!

Let's make this a national movement!

Would Clinton have won the EC under IRV?

If all Steiners put HRC as their 2nd then probably (I am only saying probably because who knows who Gary Johnson's supporters are)

[mencken]

I am not saying it is difficult to understand. However, everything is about the margin, and the marginal voter might be confused that he is suddenly using numbers on his ballot where he previously used checkmarks. Maybe that drops turnout from 69% to 67%.

Is it so absurd to think that it is possible that 2% of the voting age population really is that stupid?

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Freedom state!

Let's make this a national movement!

Would Clinton have won the EC under IRV?

If all Steiners put HRC as their 2nd then probably (I am only saying probably because who knows who Gary Johnson's supporters are)

Why the heck would Jill Stein supporters would Hillary second? I have seen nothing to indicate that.

[Dereich]

I am not saying it is difficult to understand. However, everything is about the margin, and the marginal voter might be confused that he is suddenly using numbers on his ballot where he previously used checkmarks. Maybe that drops turnout from 69% to 67%.

Is it so absurd to think that it is possible that 2% of the voting age population really is that stupid?

1. Yes, it is absurd. Voters are not incapable of simple reading comprehension. That some voters weigh or factor in different characteristics of a candidate or policies does not make them these people. Even the Bernie/Trump/LaPage/King voters.

2. Are you saying that you think 2% of voters will drive to their precinct, wait in line, get their ballot look at it and just throw up their hands and drive home? By that point they've already gone through all the effort that keeps people on the other side of the margin at home. More likely than any drop in voter turnout I'd expect a lot of voters who just ignore the new system and only preference one person; it makes more sense than giving up after taking the half an hour or so to vote in the first place.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

It's helpful to remember that mencken gets his username from one of the most unabashedly elitist, misanthropic, anti-democratic public figures in American history.

[Bacon King]

I am not saying it is difficult to understand. However, everything is about the margin, and the marginal voter might be confused that he is suddenly using numbers on his ballot where he previously used checkmarks. Maybe that drops turnout from 69% to 67%.

Is it so absurd to think that it is possible that 2% of the voting age population really is that stupid?

It's stupid to think this will disproportionately harm Democratic candidates

[Virginiá]

It's stupid to think this will disproportionately harm Democratic candidates

And to that this idea that Democrats would be disproportionately bewildered by ranking candidates is coming right after a sexual predator conned tens of millions of uneducated white Republicans into voting for him.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I am not saying it is difficult to understand. However, everything is about the margin, and the marginal voter might be confused that he is suddenly using numbers on his ballot where he previously used checkmarks. Maybe that drops turnout from 69% to 67%.

Is it so absurd to think that it is possible that 2% of the voting age population really is that stupid?

Speaking as someone who lives in a city that has already been using IRV for its city elections since 2013 with no drops in turnout or serious issues at all I can only reply "LOL".

[RI]

The Maine SoS doesn't think this will happen by 2018 and the courts may toss it completely.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

The Maine SoS doesn't think this will happen by 2018 and the courts may toss it completely.

On what grounds, some sclerotic definition of OMOV?

[RI]

The Maine SoS doesn't think this will happen by 2018 and the courts may toss it completely.

On what grounds, some sclerotic definition of OMOV?

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My understanding is that if parts of it are struck down, the entire thing will be.

[Kingpoleon]

Thank god...no more LePage's.

LePage almost certainly would have won even without that third party candidate in 2014.

Michaud would only have needed 80% of Cutler's votes to get 50.0%. LePage would have lost in 2010 almost for sure.

[Person Man]

Freedom state!

[justfollowingtheelections]

Wonderful news.  This will definitely stop the nonsense about wasting your vote when you vote for a third party.

[I’m not Stu]

It should be safe if interpreted correctly. An absolute majority guarantees at least a plurality and even more. One person one vote means electoral districts need to be proportional to the population. It has nothing to do with the number of candidates that can be picked.

[Horsemask]

Freedom state!

It is a great step forward. Proud of my home state.

Hopefully it will be ready by 2018 so LePage running against King will be a non-starter.

[Kevinstat]

It should be safe if interpreted correctly. An absolute majority guarantees at least a plurality and even more. One person one vote means electoral districts need to be proportional to the population. It has nothing to do with the number of candidates that can be picked.

But if one person has a plurality (more than any other candidate) of votes after the first count, couldn't that person claim that under the Maine Constitution the election is over.  The language seems to be especially clear for Governor.

Below are some excerpts from the Maine Constitution, with boldface from the online Constitution (print versions too probably) but italics mine.

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[Kevinstat]

The Ranked Choice Voting (same method as IRV, just rebranded) citizen initiative was the only question on the ballot I voted against.  I voted Yes, like a good liberal Democrat, on all the others (legalizing marijuana, a tax hike on the wealthiest Mainers with the new funds going to education, closing a background check loophole, raising the minimum wage, and a bond issue).  All but the background check question passed, but there will be recounts on the pot and the tax hike/education referendum.

[I’m not Stu]

I created a thread debating the what the best nonpartisan blanket primary method to replace Proposition 14 in California is. You can take the poll here: https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=253539.0