News

Maine Begins Process Of Determining Congressman Via New Way

Maine Begins Process Of Determining Congressman Via New Way

Photo: 560 WGAN Newsradio


PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Couriers rolled through Maine on Thursday to collect ballot materials as the state determines the winner of a U.S. House seat via its new voting method for the first time.

Mainers ranked their choices in Congressional ballots this week in case no candidate cleared 50 percent of the popular vote. The office of the secretary of state said that appears to be the case in the contest between Republican Rep. Bruce Poliquin and Democratic challenger Jared Golden.

Tabulations under the new method will likely begin Friday, the office of Secretary of State Matt Dunlap said. The calculations will be open to the public.

“How long is this going to take? We really aren’t too sure. This is a somewhat different animal,” Dunlap said during a radio appearance on WGAN-AM radio Thursday.

Voters’ second choices will come into play to try to determine a clear winner of the hotly contested race. The announcement of a winner is expected next week.

Dunlap added the state used the ranked choice system during June’s primary elections, but it’s dealing with more ballots this time around.

The system lets voters rank candidates on the ballot with provisions for candidate eliminations and additional tabulations. It’s also used in about a dozen municipalities around the country.

The use of the new system, which has some opponents, to determine a congressman has given rise to speculation of a lawsuit, but no one has committed to filing one yet. Dunlap said on WGAN that he’s not concerned about the possibility of a lawsuit.

Poliquin is leading in the race by about 900 votes with a little less than 90 percent collected, Dunlap said. Candidates have said little other than they are awaiting the results of the vote.

The totals of the first round of voting must still be fully tabulated, said Kristen Muszynski, a spokeswoman for the secretary of state’s office. However, the state decided to begin the ranked choice process now because it is time consuming, she said.

The ranked process would be invalidated if Poliquin or Golden were to clear 50 percent of the popular vote in the first round, but that looks unlikely right now.

“We’re going to count every vote, and we’ll have an accurate result,” Muszynski said.

Latest Headlines

14 hours ago in Local

2 injured after vehicle crashes through fitness center in Brunswick

A 72-year-old woman suffered minor injuries when she drove her vehicle into a Brunswick fitness center on Thursday.

14 hours ago in Local

Federal agencies investigating plane crash in Fryeburg that left pilot dead

A pilot was killed when their small plane went down in Fryeburg on Thursday afternoon.

1 day ago in Entertainment, Trending

Giorgio Armani, who dressed the powerful and famous from boardroom to Hollywood, dies at 91

Giorgio Armani, the iconic Italian designer who turned the concept of understated elegance into a multibillion-dollar fashion empire, died Thursday, his fashion house confirmed. He was 91.

2 days ago in Local

Portland City Council approves fines for owners of vacant storefronts

Portland city councilors have approved an ordinance that will fine the owners of vacant commercial properties.

2 days ago in Local

Northern Light Health to cut workforce by 3 percent

One of the state's largest health care systems will be cutting its workforce by 3 percent.