An Act to Include in the Ranked-choice Election Method for
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1666
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: RENY, SUPICA, DAUGHTRY
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1, 21-A MRSA §605-A, 21-A MRSA §711, 21-A MRSA §723, 21-A MRSA §723-A

Legislative Document
No. 1666
S.P. 660
In Senate, April 17, 2025
An Act to Include in the Ranked-choice Election Method for 
General and Special Elections the Offices of Governor, State 
Senator and State Representative and to Make Other Related 
Changes
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator RENY of Lincoln.
Cosponsored by Representative SUPICA of Bangor and
Senators: President DAUGHTRY of Cumberland, GROHOSKI of Hancock, HICKMAN of 
Kennebec, PIERCE of Cumberland, TIPPING of Penobscot, Representative: MOONEN of 
Portland.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  21-A MRSA §1, sub-§27-C, ¶B-1 is enacted to read:
B-1.  General and special elections for the offices of Governor, State Senator and State 
Representative;
Sec. 2.  21-A MRSA §1, sub-§35-A, as enacted by IB 2015, c. 3, §2, is amended 
to read:
35-A.  Ranked-choice voting.  "Ranked-choice voting" means the method of casting 
votes and tabulating votes ballots in which voters rank candidates in order of preference, 
tabulation proceeds in sequential rounds in which the last-place candidates are defeated 
candidate is eliminated and the continuing candidate with the highest continuing ranking 
on the most votes ballots in the final round of tabulation is determined to have received a 
plurality of the votes cast and is elected.
Sec. 3.  21-A MRSA §1, sub-§40-C is enacted to read:
40-C.  Single-choice voting.  "Single-choice voting" means the method of casting 
votes and tabulating ballots in which voters may indicate only one candidate preference 
and tabulation proceeds by combining the totals of preferences indicated for each 
candidate, and the candidate that receives the most votes is determined to have received a 
plurality of the votes cast and is elected.
Sec. 4.  21-A MRSA §605-A, sub-§2, ¶A, as amended by PL 2019, c. 320, §4, is 
further amended to read:
A.  The voting instruction poster must include information on how to mark the ballot, 
including how to mark a write-in vote or ranking; how to replace the ballot if the voter 
makes a mistake; and how to receive assistance in marking the ballot.  It may include 
other voting information.  The Secretary of State may design separate instruction 
posters to instruct the voters on how to mark a ballot for elections to be determined by 
ranked‑choice voting and those to be determined by plurality single-choice voting.
Sec. 5.  21-A MRSA §711, first ¶, as amended by PL 2019, c. 320, §7, is further 
amended to read:
As soon as the results of the election have been declared, the election return must be 
prepared.  The warden at each ward or precinct shall fill out the election return form 
provided by the Secretary of State, showing the number of votes cast for each candidate or 
question and recording the total number of state ballots cast in that ward or precinct.  For 
elections determined by ranked‑choice voting, the warden shall report on the election return 
only the first choice votes cast number of ballots on which each candidate has the 
first-choice ranking.  The warden and one other election official shall sign the return and 
immediately deliver it to the municipal clerk.  The form provided by the Secretary of State 
must include the names of all candidates, including declared write-in candidates as 
determined by section 722‑A.
Sec. 6.  21-A MRSA §723, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2019, c. 320, §8, is further 
amended to read:
1.  Primary election.  In a primary election, the person who receives a plurality of the 
votes cast for nomination to any office, as long as there is at least one vote cast for that 
office, is nominated for that office, except for write-in candidates under paragraph A and 
elections determined by ranked‑choice voting under. For an election determined by ranked-
choice voting, the person who receives a plurality of the votes cast is determined according 
to section 723‑A.
A.  A write-in candidate who complies with section 722‑A and who fulfills the other 
qualifications under section 334 may be nominated at the primary election if that person 
receives a number of valid write-in votes equal to at least twice the minimum number 
of signatures required under section 335, subsection 5 on a primary petition for a 
candidate for that office.
B.  The Secretary of State shall immediately certify by mail the nomination of each 
person nominated by the primary election.
Sec. 7.  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.  For an election determined by 
ranked-choice voting, the person who receives a plurality of the votes cast is determined 
according to section 723-A.
Sec. 8.  21-A MRSA §723-A, sub-§1, ¶C, as amended by PL 2023, c. 628, §1, is 
further amended to read:
C.  "Continuing candidate" means a candidate who has not been removed from 
consideration eliminated.
Sec. 9.  21-A MRSA §723-A, sub-§1, ¶F, as amended by PL 2019, c. 320, §9, is 
further amended to read:
F.  "Last-place candidate" means the candidate with the highest continuing ranking on 
the fewest votes ballots in a round of the ranked-choice voting count.
Sec. 10.  21-A MRSA §723-A, sub-§1, ¶I, as enacted by IB 2015, c. 3, §5, is 
amended to read:
I.  "Ranking" means the number assigned on a ballot by a voter to a candidate to express 
the voter's preference for that candidate relative to the other candidates on the ballot.  
The ranking on a voter's ballot is an instruction from the voter on the relative order in 
which a voter intends the ballot to count.  Ranking number one is the highest ranking, 
ranking number 2 is the next-highest ranking and so on.
Sec. 11.  21-A MRSA §723-A, sub-§1, ¶J, as amended by PL 2019, c. 320, §11, 
is further amended to read:
J.  "Round" means an instance of the sequence of vote ballot counting steps established 
in subsection 2 and in rules adopted by the Secretary of State.
Sec. 12.  21-A MRSA §723-A, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2023, c. 628, §2, is 
further amended to read:
2.  Procedures.  Except as provided in subsections 3, 4 and 7, the following procedures 
are used to determine the winner of an election determined by ranked-choice voting.  The 
ranked‑choice voting ballot count must proceed in rounds.  In each round, the number of 
votes for each continuing candidate must be counted.  Each continuing ballot counts as one 
vote for its highest-ranked continuing candidate for that round.  Exhausted ballots are not 
counted for any continuing candidate.  The round then ends with one of the following 2 
potential outcomes.
A.  If there are 2 or fewer continuing candidates, the ranked-choice voting count is 
complete and each ballot counts as one vote for its highest-ranked continuing candidate 
and the candidate with the most receiving a plurality of the votes cast is declared the 
winner of the election elected.
B.  If there are more than 2 continuing candidates, the last-place candidate is removed 
from consideration eliminated and a new round begins.
Sec. 13.  21-A MRSA §723-A, sub-§5, as amended by PL 2017, c. 316, §9, is 
further amended to read:
5.  Effect on rights of political parties.  For all statutory and constitutional provisions 
in the State pertaining to the rights of political parties, the number of votes cast for a party's 
candidate for an office determined by ranked-choice voting is the number of votes credited 
to ballots upon which that candidate after the initial counting is the highest-ranked 
continuing candidate in the first round of counting described in subsection 2.
SUMMARY
This bill provides for ranked-choice voting for general and special elections for the 
offices of Governor, State Senator and State Representative and clarifies the definition of 
"ranked-choice voting" by changing the use of the terms "vote" and "ballot," and provides 
that the winner of an election in which ranked-choice voting is conducted is the winner by 
a plurality of the votes.