Maine eyes constitutional amendment for more ranked voting

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A proposal to expand the use of a ranked voting system in Maine has succeeded in committee and will move on to the full legislature.

Maine uses ranked choice voting for offices such as U.S. senator and U.S. representative. However, the system has not been adopted in state races because of concerns that it doesn’t square with the state constitution.

The Maine Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee approved a proposal by a count of 6-4 on Friday that could change that. Democratic Sen. David Miramant’s proposal calls for an amendment to the constitution to implement ranked voting more broadly.