An Act To Repeal the Ranked-choice Voting Law
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1213
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: STETKIS, GUERIN, CAMPBELL, DRINKWATER, HANINGTON, HEAD, HUTCHINS, O'CONNOR, REED, WADSWORTH
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1, 21-A MRSA §601, 21-A MRSA §695, 21-A MRSA §722, 21-A MRSA §723, 21-A MRSA §723-A

Legislative Document
No. 1213
H.P. 877
House of Representatives, March 12, 2019
An Act To Repeal the Ranked-choice Voting Law
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative STETKIS of Canaan.
Cosponsored by Senator GUERIN of Penobscot and
Representatives: CAMPBELL of Orrington, DRINKWATER of Milford, HANINGTON of 
Lincoln, HEAD of Bethel, HUTCHINS of Penobscot, O'CONNOR of Berwick, REED of 
Carmel, WADSWORTH of Hiram.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  21-A MRSA §1, sub-§27-C, as repealed and replaced by PL 2017, c. 316, 
§1, is repealed.
Sec. 2.  21-A MRSA §1, sub-§35-A, as enacted by IB 2015, c. 3, §2, is repealed.
Sec. 3.  21-A MRSA §601, sub-§2, ¶J, as amended by PL 2017, c. 316, §3, is 
repealed.
Sec. 4.  21-A MRSA §695, first ¶, as amended by PL 2017, c. 316, §4, is further 
amended to read:
Except for elections determined by ranked-choice voting, the following provisions 
apply to the counting of ballots.  The election clerks shall count the ballots under the 
supervision of the warden as soon as the polls are closed, except that if, in the opinion of 
the municipal clerk the public interests will best be served, referendum ballots may be 
counted on the day immediately following the election, as long as the count is completed 
within 24 hours after the polls are closed.  If referendum ballots are counted under this 
exception, the municipal clerk is responsible for the security and safekeeping of the 
ballots until the count has been completed.
Sec. 5.  21-A MRSA §722, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2017, c. 316, §5, is further 
amended to read:
1.  How tabulated.  The Secretary of State shall tabulate all votes that appear by an 
election return to have been cast for each question or candidate whose name appeared on 
the ballot.  For elections determined by ranked-choice voting, the Secretary of State shall 
tabulate the votes according to the ranked-choice voting method described in section 
723-A.  The Secretary of State shall tabulate the votes that appear by an election return to 
have been cast for a declared write-in candidate based on a recount requested and 
conducted pursuant to section 737-A, subsection 2-A.
Sec. 6.  21-A MRSA §723, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2017, c. 316, §7, is further 
amended to read:
2.  Other elections.  In any other election except for those determined by ranked-
choice voting, the person who receives a plurality of the votes cast for election to any 
office, as long as there is at least one vote cast for that office, is elected to that office, 
except that a write-in candidate must also comply with section 722-A.
Sec. 7.  21-A MRSA §723-A, as amended by PL 2017, c. 316, §§8 to 10, is 
repealed.
SUMMARY
This bill repeals the laws governing ranked-choice voting.