Ranked choice voting is set to be used for the upcoming June 9 primary election for which a number of key races will be on the ballot.
Although ranked choice voting has proven to be a point of significant controversy since its initial implementation several years ago, it is nonetheless the system in place for this month’s election.
Consequently, it is critical that Mainers understand how best to approach filling out their ballot so that their vote is able to be as effective as possible and can be counted in accordance with their desires.
On the ballot this cycle are several important races, including for the governorship, as well as for one of Maine’s seats in the United States Senate and both of the state’s seats in the United States House of Representatives.
Both Democrats and Republicans will be asked to weigh in on primary races for the gubernatorial election and the senatorial election, but only Republicans will be faced with a choice at the ballot box for the House seat.
Because ranked choice voting will be in place for these races, voters will have the option to express support on their ballot for multiple candidates.
In the event that one candidate does not receive at least 50 percent of the votes cast, the candidate with the fewest amount of votes will be knocked out of the running.
Votes would then be distributed to whichever candidates were marked as a second choice on ballots cast by those supporting the eliminated candidate.
This process continues until one candidate emerges with majority support, or at least fifty percent of the votes.
With a ranked choice ballot, there are several valid ways that a vote can be cast.
For those who do not wish to participate in ranked choice voting, Mainers have the option to only fill in a first-choice selection on their ballot, or alternatively, to fill in each ranking slot for the same candidate.
Voters who opt to do that, however, run the risk of having their voice eliminated from the election in the event that their chosen candidate is taken out of the running.
If there are multiple candidates that a voter would like to support in the race, voters may rank them in order of preference. By doing so, a voter’s ballot continues to be counted if the first choice candidate is eliminated.
Voters can choose to rank as few or as many candidates as they would like.
These images provided by the Secretary of State’s Office illustrate several examples of valid ranked choice ballots.
The ballots this year have been flooded with candidates for the sole purpose of diluting the first vote count .
Seven or Eight Candidates is ridiculous . It’s a joke . Most of the candidates are a joke .
Democrats have planned it that way .
Democrats have most likely been qclandestinely funding many of our Republican candidates
The more candidates there are , the less chance that any one can emerge with more than 50% on the first count .
The shenanigans can only begin when they start the “ tabulation of second and third choice votes “ .
And WHO is supervising the “ voting counts and the tabulations “ ?
Sheena Bellows . Democrat Party Operative , and rabidly partisan enemy of the people and the Republican Party .
For anyone who doesn’t trust Bellows , THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL of being really ugly .
AND the worst part is Maine voters voted for this RCV INSANITY …….TWICE .
RCV is solely another means to cheat. The Maine people should choose very wisely on who their vote goes to in the republican primary for governor. Look around and see who’s making the back room deals to utilize RCV for their gain. Ask yourself if you can trust someone to repeal RCV when they use to win an election.
Those examples of the ballots are pretty interesting I was just on the Maine ethics committee & elections website and as of 6/1/2026 says it was recently updated but still has the same number of democrats and unenrolled candidates as 9 running.
5 are running as democrats and 4 running as unenrolled candidates.
I wonder which one democrat or unenrolled will be the willing candidate for the write in?
Should be interesting how this plays out.
Will it be like the Amazon fiasco and tasks 3 weeks to a month of counting the ballots? Who knows!
There are 8 Republican candidates running for governor. Oh well that explains everything it’s a Republican sample ballot!
Is there any research or study on the number of voters who have been disenfranchised because of RCV. I believe that the number is significantly higher since its implementation. Prove me wrong.
RCV IS. NOTHING BUT CHEATING ANY WAY YOU LOOK AT IT
IT SHOULD OF NEVER BEEN USED ITS AGAINST THE CONSTITUTION