AUGUSTA — A group of advocates of ranked choice voting has submitted signatures needed to put the proposal on the ballot to Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap.

Supporters of the proposal have gathered 70,000 signatures, and they were delivered to the secretary of state on Monday. They’ll have to be verified for the proposal to make it on the 2016 ballot.

A spokeswoman for Dunlap says the signatures are in hand.

Ranked choice voting lets voters rank candidates in order of preference, knowing that if their first choice does not win, their vote will go to their second choice.

Supporters say the system eliminates so-called spoiler candidates and will ensure a majority of voters for the winner. Gov. Paul LePage won his first term with 38 percent of the vote.


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