AP News Guide: A look at Maine's general election
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The 2020 election in Maine on Tuesday will carry a footnote: It marked the first use of ranked choice voting in a presidential contest in the U.S.
Maine voters first approved ranked voting in federal races in a statewide referendum in 2016. The Legislature later enacted a law to ensure that it's used in the presidential race.
Republicans sought unsuccessfully to force a “People's Veto” referendum that would've delayed use of the voting system in presidential contest.
There are five candidates on the presidential ballot, including Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden. If none of them wins a majority of first-round votes, then there will be additional tabulations in which last-place candidates are eliminated and those supporters' second-place choices are reallocated to the remaining field.
Ranked voting is sometimes called an “instant runoff.” But there's nothing instant about Maine's implementation of the voting system.
If additional tabulations are required, then all the ballots from hundreds of municipalities have to be shipped to Augusta and entered into a computer which completes the additional tabulations.
The voting system is not used for state legislative or governor's races because of concerns it runs afoul of the Maine Constitution.
Other races include:
SENATE RACE
The Senate contest between incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon is the costliest political race in Maine history.
The two candidates and their allies together have spent more than $120 million on television advertising alone.
Collins is battling for a fifth term against a candidate who drew donations for all corners of the country. Democratic support quickly coalesced...