ranked-choice voting

I am one of hundreds of people throughout Maine collecting signatures to help establish ranked-choice voting through a “people’s veto” referendum. Why a people’s veto? Last year, 338,273 Mainers passed the ranked-choice voting referendum with the second most votes of any citizen referendum ever. Our Legislature then derailed the process by voting to delay enacting the law for four years. This has forced us into this new veto referendum that we only have a short time to complete.

For the past month, I have collected signatures at events and in my neighborhood and I have found few people who disagree that we need more options in a system that has forced voters into an either/or choice for decades. Contrary to what people often think, ranked-choice voting is constitutional for all federal races in Maine (U.S. Senate and House of Representatives) and for all primaries. Ranked-choice voting expands your voice and choice in the democratic process.

We have only a short time left to collect the remaining signatures we need to pass the people’s veto. Then we can run our June primaries by ranked-choice voting and override the Legislature to pass ranked choice. If you would like to help, go to the RCV Facebook page, www.facebook.com/rcvmaine/, or to www.rcvmaine.com.

Time is running out and your help is needed to make this important change in how we do democracy in Maine. It is after all what the people of Maine strongly supported last fall.

Emanuel Pariser

Waterville

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