An Act to Modify Ranked-choice Voting with Regard to Candidates Wl10
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 0911
Committee Amendment CA_A_SA_A_S378 (Senate)
Amends: 21-A MRSA §1, 21-A MRSA §723-A, 21-A MRSA §723

SENATE AMENDMENT" A,, to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to S.P. 401, 
L.D. 911, "An Act to Modify Ranked-choice Voting with Regard to Candidates Wl10 
l O 
Withdraw from an Election" 
Amend the amendment by inserting before section 1 the following: 
18cc. 1. 21-A MRSA §1, sub-§27-C, as repealed and replaced by PL 2021, c. 273, 
§ 1, is amended by enacting at the end a new first blocked paragraph to read: 
If one or more of the candidates who have qualified to be listed on the ballot for a pa1ticular 
office in an election determined by 1·anked-choice voting die. are disqualified or withdraw 
less than 70 days before the election, the election remains an election dete1·mined by 
ranked-choice voting regardless of the number of remaining candidates.' 
Amend the amendment in section 1 in subsection 5 in the 14th to 18th lines (page 1, 
lines 32 to 36 in amendment) by striking out the following: "Notwithstanding the provision 
of section 1. subsection 27-C that describes the minimum number of qualified candidates 
for an election to be an election determined by ranked-choice voting, if a candidate dies 01· 
becomes disqualified less than 70 days before the primary election. the election remains an 
election determined by ranked-choice voting regardless of the number of remaining 
qualified candidates. A" and inserting the following: 'In an election determined by ranked-
choice voting. a' 
Amend the amendment in section 2 in subsection 6 in the 12th to 16th lines (page 2, 
lines 18 to 22 in amendment) by striking out the following: "Notwithstanding the provision 
of section 1. subsection 27-C that describes the minimum number of qualified candidates 
for an election to be an election determined by ranked-choice voting. if a candidate 
withdraws less than 70 days before the primary election. the election remains an election 
dete1·mined by ranked-choice voting 1·ega1·dless of the number of remaining qualified 
candidates. A" and inserting the following: 
1ln an election determined by ranked-choice 
voting, a1 
Amend the amendment in section 3 in subsection 3 in paragraph C in the 12th to 16th 
lines (page 3, lines 6 to 10 in amendment) by stl'iking out the following: "Notwithstanding 
the prnvision of section 1. subsection 27-C that describes the minimum m.nnber of qualified 
candidates for an election to be an election detennined by ranked-choice voting. if a 
candidate withdraws pmsuant to this paragraph, the election remains an election 
Page l • 132LR2208(04) 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
~ oi'b 
SENATE AMENDMENT" A" to COMMITTEBAMENDMENT"A" to S.P.401,L.D. 911 (5··Jl 8) 
determined by ranked-choice voting l'egardless of the munbel' of remaining qualified 
candidates. A" and inserting the following: 'In an election determined by ranked-choice 
voting, a' 
Amend the amendment by insetting after section 3 the following: 
'Sec, 4, 21-A MRSA §723-A, sub-§1, ,re, as amended by PL 2023, c. 628, §1, is 
further amended to read: 
• 
C. 
"Continuing candidate" means a candidate who has not been l'emoved from 
consideration and is not an excluded candidate. 
Sec. 5. 21-A MRSA §723-A, sub-§1, ,rc-1 is enacted to read: 
C-1. ''Excluded candidate" means a candidate who is listed on the ballot or has 
qualified as a declared write-in candidate, but has died, been disqualified or withdrawn 
less than 70 days befol'e the election. 
Sec. 6. 21-A MRSA §723-A, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2023, c. 628, §2, is fmther 
amended to read: 
2. Procedures. Except as provided in subsections 2-A, 3, 4 and 7, the following 
procedures al'e used to deterinine the winner of an election determined by ranked-choice 
voting. +he If a candidate has been assigned rnnking number one on more than 50% of all 
ballots cast for the pa1ticular office for which the candidate is running, including but not 
limited to ballots on which ranking number one is blank. on which there.is an oyervote at 
ranking numbel' one 01· on which ranking number one was assigned to an excluded 
candidate. that candidate is declared the winner of the election. If no candidate lias been 
assigned ranking number one on more than 50% of the ballots cast for that pa1ticular office. 
the ranked-choice voting 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 candidate with the most votes is 
declared the winner of the election. 
B. Ifthere a1·e more than 2 continuing candidates, the last-place candidate is removed 
from consideration and a new l'ound begins. 
Sec. 7, 21-A MRSA §723..:A, subM§2MA is enacted to read: • 
2-A. Excluded candidates. In any round of the ranked-choice voting count, a ballot 
on which an excluded c·audidate is the highest-ranked candidate must be counted for the 
next-highest-ranked continuing candidate.' 
Amend the amendment by relettering or renumbel'ing any nonconsecutive Patt letter 01· 
section number to read consecutively. 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
SENATE AMENDMENT" A" to COMMITTEEAMENDMENT"A" to S.P. 401, L.D. 911 { S ·37 t) 
SUMMARY 
This amendment clarifies when an election remains an election determined by ranked-
choice voting if a candidate dies, is disqualified or withdrnws less than 70 days before an 
election and clarifies the rB;nked-choice voting count procedures in these instances. 
SPONSOREDBY: ~Jf-/tk--
(Senator HICKN'IAN, C,) 
COUNTY: Kennebec 
SENATE AMENDMENT