AUGUSTA – Questions were swirling Thursday about whether Mainers will use the ranked-choice voting system in the June primaries after Secretary of State Matt Dunlap raised concerns about a conflict in the law. Dunlap said his office was notified late Wednesday about “legal concerns regarding the implementation of ranked-choice voting” and, as a result, Dunlap […]
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Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine races to implement ranked-choice voting before June primary
PORTLAND (AP) — Maine election officials are racing to implement a new voting system in time for the June primary, marking the first use of ranked-choice voting in statewide primary elections. Secretary of State Matt Dunlap plans to submit proposed rules governing the voting method by month’s end. “It is exciting to finally have a […]
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Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Ranked-choice voting will be in place for June primaries
AUGUSTA — Maine is about to embark on a voting system never before used in a major statewide election anywhere in the United States. With the announcement Monday from the secretary of state’s office that supporters of ranked-choice voting submitted enough valid signatures, the June 12 primaries in Maine are suddenly more than just a […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Matt Dunlap scoffs at voter fraud, vows to make ranked choice voting work if needed
LEWISTON — After playing a big role in the demise of a national voter-fraud commission that he feared could limit access to the polls, Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap was hailed by some as a hero. But he is not buying it. “I’m no Rosa Parks,” Dunlap told a crowd Wednesday at the Muskie […]
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Susan Collins says Russian election meddling still going on
AUBURN — When Russia attacked America’s election in 2016, it didn’t change any votes directly but it “absolutely” achieved its chief aim, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said Friday. The Maine Republican said Russia’s goal was to sow discord among voters in the United States, she said, and it proved so successful that the country remains […]
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Matt Dunlap: I was on Trump's voter fraud commission; its demise was inevitable
It didn’t surprise me when I got an email from the White House on Wednesday night that President Donald Trump had moved to dissolve the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. The move came without warning, but given how incredibly dysfunctional the process had been from the start, dissolution was inevitable. Twelve days earlier, U.S. […]
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Matt Dunlap disappointed Trump pulled plug on 'voter fraud' commission
AUGUSTA — For Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, participation in a federal voter-fraud commission proved “a strange, surreal and remarkable journey.” With President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the plug on his Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, Dunlap’s formal role is over. But, he warned, the issue is not going away. Dunlap said […]
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Move to restrict signature gathering at polls assailed at hearing
AUGUSTA — At polling places across Maine, those gathering signatures for ballot initiatives have often set up a table on the way out to offer voters the opportunity to put their names on required petitions. For supporters, it’s a sign of a thriving democracy. For some, though, it’s a growing hassle. “We’ve come to hate […]
Posted inLocal & State
Bill calls for ban on signature gathering at polling places in Maine
Clean election and ballot access advocates on Friday condemned a bill that would virtually ban the gathering of voter signatures at the polling place on Election Day. The bill would also push candidates who are on the ballot back away from the polling place, ending a tradition of candidates greeting voters at the polls. The […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Analysis: Maine encourages everyone to vote, including prisoners and the homeless
At a time when many states are adopting measures that make it harder for people to vote, Maine stands for the other extreme. It is the easiest state in the country for someone to cast a ballot. In Maine, just about every resident who is 18 or older gets to vote — and, since the […]