What are people afraid of? Ranked-choice voting is a step forward in voter power. It is not a difficult or complex system — the Australians have been voting that way since 1918, and they are not any smarter than Mainers are. In fact, preferential voting has often been used in local elections all over the U.S.

Is the fear that more choice encourages a variety of views instead of only one or two? Is the fear that the candidate field is more open, allowing greater participation? Is the fear that a second choice could gain a majority, thereby encouraging candidates to appeal to a wider audience?

Ranked-choice voting encourages greater participation, more civil discourse and officials elected by a majority of voters. Why are certain political groups so afraid of a more democratic system?

The June primaries are open to all voters to express their views on RCV, yet again. I will be voting to support ranked-choice voting; I will be voting to support democracy.

Bonnie Green, Monmouth


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.

filed under: