ME SP0900

The Maine Legislature requests an advisory opinion from the Supreme Judicial Court on whether ranked-choice voting for Governor, State Senator, and State Representative general elections complies with the Maine Constitution's "plurality of votes" requirements

L.D. 1666, passed by both chambers on June 18, 2025, would restore ranked-choice voting to state general elections after a people's veto previously removed those offices from ranked-choice voting

The Senate recalled L.D. 1666 from the Governor's desk on June 25, 2025 to obtain a constitutional ruling before the bill is signed into law

Maine has used ranked-choice voting since June 2018 for federal races and state primaries, but currently uses two different voting systems on general election ballots—ranked-choice for federal offices and traditional plurality for state offices

The Legislature seeks guidance before the 2026 elections to avoid potential legal challenges if a candidate wins the initial vote count but loses after ranked-choice tabulation rounds