AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) The Latest on GOP lawsuit targeting ranked-choice voting (all times local):
1:12 p.m.
Maine’s Democratic Secretary of State Matt Dunlap is declining to weigh in on the latest legal challenge against a new ranked voting method set for the June primary.
GOP officials on Friday filed a lawsuit in federal court opposing the use of ranked-choice voting to select Republican winners in the primary.
Dunlap said he’ll be reviewing the filing with counsel.
Maine voters approved ranked-choice voting in 2016. State lawmakers then delayed implementation.
Supporters collected enough Maine signatures to temporarily halt the delay pending a second statewide vote on June 12.
Maine GOP Chair Demi Kouzounas said that ranked-choice voting was pushed onto Maine voters by outside groups.
__
11:30 a.m.
A supporter of ranked-choice voting says a Maine GOP lawsuit is a last-ditch “political stunt” that comes after the deadline for printing the ballots.
Kyle Bailey from the Committee for Ranked Choice Voting said the Maine Republican Party is bound by state law governing primaries, unless it wants to pay to run its own election. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court already cleared the way for the new system on June 12.
The Maine Republican Party sued Friday in federal court to prevent ranked-choice voting from being imposed during the Republican primary.
The lawsuit was filed after a vote at the Maine GOP convention aimed at ensuring the winner is simply the candidate with the most votes. The new voter-approved method is aimed at ensuring a candidate wins with a majority of votes.
___
10:10 a.m.
Maine Republicans are mounting a challenge to a new ranked voting method set for the June primary.
The state’s GOP convention voted to reject ranked choice voting in Republican primaries. GOP officials said Friday they filed a lawsuit in federal court opposing ranked-choice voting in federal court.
The new voter-approved method says a candidate wins with a majority of votes. The GOP wants the winner to simply have the most votes.
The 2010 and 2012 conventions saw Tea Party-fueled uprisings against the conservative establishment.
Republicans have trumpeted their party’s recent gains in rural areas of the historically independent-minded state. Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin has represented them since 2014.
That district sent a historic electoral vote to Republican President Trump in 2016.
___
9:50 a.m.
Maine Republicans have gathered at their convention to celebrate the term-limited governor’s record and vote on the party’s platform.
Party delegates are meeting in Augusta Friday and Saturday.
Four GOP gubernatorial candidates are trumpeting fiscally conservative Gov. Paul LePage’s legacy and trying to distinguish themselves ahead of the June primary. The 2010 and 2012 conventions saw Tea Party-fueled uprisings against the conservative establishment.
Republicans have trumpeted their party’s recent gains in rural areas of the historically independent-minded state. Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin has represented them since 2014.
That district sent a historic electoral vote to Republican President Trump in 2016.
The GOP is hoping record-low unemployment and fiscal stability under LePage, a Republican, will draw voters their way in the June 12 primary election.
___
12:10 a.m.
Maine Republicans are heading to their convention to celebrate the term-limited governor’s record and vote on the party’s platform.
Party delegates are meeting in Augusta Friday and Saturday.
Four GOP gubernatorial candidates are trumpeting fiscally conservative Gov. Paul LePage’s legacy and trying to distinguish themselves ahead of the June primary. The 2010 and 2012 conventions saw Tea Party-fueled uprisings against the conservative establishment.
Republicans have trumpeted their party’s recent gains in rural areas of the historically independent-minded state. Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin has represented them since 2014.
That district sent a historic vote to Republican President Trump in 2016.
The GOP is hoping record-low unemployment and fiscal stability under LePage, a Republican, will draw voters their way in the June 12 primary election.
