How to Navigate Ranked-Choice Voting in Maine
In Maine, we have Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV). As of October 2024, only Maine and Alaska use RCV in federal and statewide elections. Additionally, Hawaii uses RCV, but only in certain elections, such as vacancy elections for county council seats. Some other states contain localities that either use or are scheduled to begin using RCV in municipal elections. You can find more details on RCV by visiting Ballotpedia, which I linked in the sources section at the bottom of this page.
For those that are unfamiliar with ranked-choice voting, Ballotpedia explains:
“A ranked-choice voting system (RCV) is an electoral system in which voters rank candidates by preference on their ballots. There are multiple forms of ranked-choice voting. This page focuses on the most commonly used form of RCV, sometimes called instant-runoff voting (IRV), and provides some supplemental information on other forms of this electoral system.
In instant-runoff voting, if a candidate wins a majority of first-preference votes, he or she is declared the winner. If no candidate wins a majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated. Ballots that ranked a failed candidate as their first, or highest choice, depending on the round, are then reevaluated and counted as first-preference ballots for the next-highest-ranked candidate in that round. A new tally is conducted to determine whether any candidate has won a majority of ballots. The process is repeated until a candidate wins an outright majority. Elements of this process, such as the number of candidates eliminated in each round, may vary by jurisdiction.”
If you read my post on Maine’s 2024 Referendum Election, you know I’m not used to ranked-choice voting, as the German federal ballot allows only two selections. So, I was curious about how to fill in the ballot appropriately. By the way, my research let me identify another big difference in how we vote. In Germany, we mark our selection by crossing the respective field, using an ‘X’, while here in Maine, voters have to fill in the ovals on the ballot.
How do you properly mark the ranked-choice ballot?
The candidates’ names will appear in the left column, and the rankings will appear across the top. To cast their vote, voters must simply fill in the oval to correspond with their choices.
There are various ways that a voter can cast their votes:
All candidates ranked in order of preference
A voter can fill out the ballot completely based on their order of preference for the candidate they would like to see in that office. Their first choice will be counted on Election Night, and their subsequent choices will be counted in the rounds of ranked-choice voting tabulation by order of preference for counting candidates who have not yet been eliminated.
Rank one candidate for more than one choice
A voter can mark one candidate as their first and second choice but another as their third choice. However, if their first-choice candidate is eliminated from the race after the first round, their third-choice candidate will be counted as their second-place choice. If their first choice is not eliminated, their first-choice vote remains with the candidate for as long as the candidate is a continuing candidate.
Vote for a first-choice candidate in every level of ranking
A voter can vote for their first-choice candidate in every ranking level. Their vote will be counted in the first round and move through the rounds unless the candidate is eliminated. Additional votes, i.e., anything past “1st Choice,” are irrelevant. If the voter’s first-choice candidate is eliminated in any round, the ballot will be exhausted and no longer contribute to the election outcome as they did not rank any continuing candidates further down the ballot.
Voters should not fill in more than one oval for any column, for example, thinking they’ll provide a “backup” in case the candidate they truly stand behind gets eliminated. A selection in multiple rows for a given “Choice” column will invalidate the ballot. If a voter accidentally fills in two ovals in the same column, the voter should tell the town clerk that they spoiled their ballot and would like a new one.
Vote for first-choice candidate only
A voter does not have to rank their choices. If a voter only has one candidate they want to see in the respective office, they only have to mark that candidate as their first choice. That vote will be counted in the first round and move through the rounds unless the candidate is eliminated. However, it’s important to note that the ballot will be exhausted and no longer contribute to the tally if the preferred candidate is eliminated in one of the rounds, as the voter did not rank any continuing candidates further down the ballot.
Rank some candidates in order of preference
A voter does not need to rank all of the candidates. If a voter agrees with more than one of the candidates and would prefer one of them if another candidate of their choice gets eliminated throughout the rounds, a voter can simply rank only the candidates the voter supports.
Vote for a first-choice candidate and skip one level of ranking
A voter can skip one level of ranking. If they choose one candidate for their first choice and another candidate for their third choice and their first-choice candidate gets eliminated at the end of the first round, their third-choice candidate will be moved up as their second choice.
[Caution] Skip two levels of ranking
While a voter could skip two rankings, as you can see in the screenshot, the votes after the two rankings that the voter skipped will not count. Thus, the ballot is only a valid vote for the choice before the skips, in the example for Candidate One. If the candidate is eliminated, the ballot will be exhausted and no longer contribute to the tally.
But please be aware that there are also multiple ways a voter may void their vote.
[Caution] Skip first choice but mark second choice
If a voter skips their 1st choice but marks the 2nd choice, their municipality will record the vote as blank. If no majority winner is determined on Election Night, the voters second-choice vote will be counted as their first choice in the first round of ranked-choice counting.
And let’s not forget that there are ways a voter will for sure void their vote.
Skipping two rankings with no first or second choice
If a voter does not mark a first or second choice, the ballot is exhausted (no longer contributes to the election), and no subsequent candidate rankings marked on that ballot are counted.
Choosing two or more candidates for the same ranking
If a voter chooses two or more candidates (overvoting) for, e.g., their first choice, the vote will not count since the voter’s intent for their choice cannot be determined.
If a voter accidentally fills in two ovals in the same column, the voter should tell the town clerk that they spoiled their ballot and would like a new one.
I hope the above provides some clarity on how ranked-choice voting works. However, as election rules and laws can change and may differ from state to state and, of course, country to country, please stay on top of this topic and check out your local resources, which may be included in the links I provide below.
To me, the concept of ranked-choice voting seems highly confusing. It is not intuitive and requires detailed instructions on the ballot. Especially new or uninformed voters could feel pressured to rank each candidate on the ballot, even if they disagree with the candidates’ policies. Additionally, I think that ranked-choice voting leaves room for election fraud in cases where a voter only fills in the 1st choice oval. Especially in elections that might not have a clear winner in the first round, an unconstitutional election helper could take a chance and fill in ovals that align with the election helper’s choice. Of course, I understand this would be illegal, but you never know what’s going on in an unobserved moment.
I would love to hear your thoughts about ranked-choice voting – and please call me out if you spot a mistake in my blog post.
Sources (links open in new tab)
Ballotpedia – Ranked Choice Voting https://ballotpedia.org/Ranked-choice_voting_(RCV)
Fair Vote – Hawaii passed ranked choice voting legislation https://fairvote.org/hawaii_passes_ranked_choice_voting_legislation/
Maine’s 2024 Referendum Election https://www.dkayinmaine.com/maine/maines-2024-referendum-election
Maine.gov – Resources for Ranked-choice Voting (RCV) https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/rcv.html
Maine.gov – How to properly mark the ranked-choice ballot https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/pdf/RCVMarkedBallots.Updated101420.pdf
