AUGUSTA - The Maine House voted on Thursday to enact a measure from Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, that would allow all municipalities to formally adopt methods other than traditional plurality voting for local elections.
LD 859 as amended would give municipal governments the flexibility to implement alternative voting methods including ranked-choice voting and runoff elections for conventional candidate races and ballot questions with more than two options. Under current state law, only Maine's 57 municipalities with a charter have this ability, while the other 431 non-charter municipalities do not. Municipalities wishing to adopt a different method may do so in a meeting held at least 180 days before the election.
"This legislation is about fairness and local control," said Berry. "Although most will likely make no change, Maines non-charter municipalities should have the flexibility to choose runoff elections, ranked-choice voting or traditional plurality voting as they see fit, just as those with a charter already can. These 431 towns are just as worthy as the others."
Maine towns have been competently running their own elections for hundreds of years, said Will Hayward, advocacy program coordinator for the League of Women Voters of Maine, an organization that supports the bill. They should be allowed to choose the election method, including ranked-choice voting, that best suits their needs.
LD 859 faces an additional vote in the Senate.
Berry represents House District 55, which includes Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Swan Island and most of Richmond. He previously served from 2006 to 2014, the final two years as House majority leader, and returned to the House in 2016.
Contact:
Jackie Merrill [Berry], c. 812-1111