As I write this letter, eight days after the polls closed, we do not know the gubernatorial candidates for either party or the 2nd Congressional District Democratic candidates.
Ranked-choice voting in Maine is broken. The internet is abuzz with rumors of paper ballots being transported and “thumb drives” being lost. Seriously, in 2026, who the heck uses a thumb drive? Get out the floppy discs! How hard would it be to transmit this “thumb drive” information over the internet? How hard would it be for the initial scan of the ballots to include and tally the down ballot choices?
The current state of ranked-choice voting in Maine is a disgrace; it feeds the narrative that elections are rigged and stolen. We need to fix or repeal this system before the next primaries.
Mary Ann Lynch
Cape Elizabeth
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