AUGUSTA (NEWS CENTER Maine) — The next move in the ranked choice voting (RCV) dispute will be made by a judge. Lawyers for the secretary of State and The Committee for Ranked Choice Voting were in superior court Friday asking the judge to decide if RCV can be used in the June primary.
Secretary of State Matt Dunlap announced Thursday that a review of the law revealed a conflict that the state legislature did not correct last year. He said the ranked choice law passed by voters in 2016 has different requirements for determining the outcome of an election than what is in the existing law, and that it was never repealed by lawmakers.
Secretary Dunlap told reporters and legislators that conflict could result in lawsuits over election results if it is not resolved prior to the primary.
In court Friday, RCV supporters argued that the ranked choice law passed by voters basically supersedes the old law. They told the judge to state that and order ranked choice to be used in the primary.
Justice Michaela Murphy did not make a ruling. The lawyer for the secretary of State said the judge indicated she intends to rule as soon as possible because the election is only 10 weeks away.
