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Maine's RC Voting Delayed, GOP Candidate Exits.

6/19/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Bobby Charles urged Maine to drop ranked-choice voting after the tabulation took five days.
The Secretary of State began ranked-choice tabulation on June 12, extending the count five days before final results.
Jim Libby quit the Republican race after missing Maine Clean Election Act funding, leaving seven candidates on the ballot.

History

Historical Context

San Francisco adopted instant-runoff voting after a 2002 referendum, first applying it in the 2004 Board of Supervisors race and then in the 2007 mayoral election that featured 12 candidates. Gavin Newsom won the race, but the hand-counting delays sparked debate over RCV efficiency. Those prolonged hand-counts created a precedent that other jurisdictions now cite when implementing ranked-choice tabulations.

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Story summary

Bobby Charles urged Maine to drop ranked-choice voting after the tabulation took five days.
The Secretary of State began ranked-choice tabulation on June 12, extending the count five days before final results.
Jim Libby quit the Republican race after missing Maine Clean Election Act funding, leaving seven candidates on the ballot.

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