Republicans Get Win In Maine Ranked Choice Voting Case
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The highest court in Maine sided with the Republican Party in a ruling on expanding ranked-choice voting.
The court ruled, “LD 1666’s conception of a vote as being a series of instructions or rankings that, when tabulated pursuant to a ranked-choice process, leads to an eventual final vote is inconsistent with the constitutional concept of a ‘vote.”
Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court said Monday that a proposed expansion of ranked-choice voting would violate the state constitution.
A bill pending in the Legislature would expand ranked-choice voting to races for governor and legislative seats by counting only the final vote tally to decide a winner. The bill has enough support in the Democratic-controlled Legislature to pass, but lawmakers asked the state supreme court to examine the constitutionality of the measure, LD 1666, ahead of the 2026 elections.
In a unanimous advisory opinion, the justices on Maine’s highest court said the language of the state constitution makes clear that the first candidate to earn a “plurality” of the vote wins those races. As a result, the justices said the constitution does not allow for the additional tabulations that are needed during a ranked-choice runoff.
“LD 1666’s conception of a vote as being a series of instructions or rankings that when tabulated pursuant to a ranked-choice process leads to an eventual final vote is inconsistent with the constitutional concept of a ‘vote,'” the justices wrote. “Under the Constitution, for each of the offices at issue here, a single vote is taken, with the votes sorted, counted, and declared once and then submitted by each municipality to the Secretary of State.”
Maine GOP Chairman Jim Deyermond praised the decision, calling it “a good day.”
He said in a statement, “The Constitution of Maine is preserved and respected, and this decision provides clarity against efforts to pollute our state elections with Ranked-Choice Voting.”
“Today is a good day,” Maine GOP Chairman Jim Deyermond said in a statement. “The Constitution of Maine is preserved and respected, and this decision provides clarity against efforts to pollute our state elections with Ranked-Choice Voting.”
“Even in times when we often mistrust our institutions, we can rely upon our Constitution and deliberative Justices to render the correct decision,” Deyermond said, adding that the ruling will “end the attempts from the radical left” to expand ranked choice voting.
Scott Presler called the ruling “a huge, massive, earthquake of a victory for the people of Maine.”
BREAKING
Maine’s Supreme Court ruled that expanding Ranked Choice Voting to general elections is unconstitutional!
This is a huge, massive, earthquake of a victory for the people of Maine.
Congratulations to the Maine GOP! pic.twitter.com/gS7Bn5q9QO
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) April 6, 2026
