I am responding to a Jan. 10 letter to the editor (“Voting in two-way runoff beats ranked-choice system”) that criticized the movement for ranked-choice voting and suggested that Maine would be better off with a runoff system for federal and state elections. I strongly disagree.
The author of the letter, Brian Bicknell, says that it is a “great enough challenge” getting people to vote, while ironically proposing the use of a runoff system that would inconveniently require voters to return to the polls for a second time.
Furthermore, he insults the intelligence of Maine voters by intimating that ranking candidates would be too challenging.
If the writer had done his research, he would have known that exit polling from ranked-choice elections in cities across the country has clearly demonstrated that voters not only understand the voting instructions and ballot design, but they also enjoy the opportunity to have more choice by ranking candidates.
If the author is primarily concerned with fairness and openness, then give voters more choice in a single election. Maine is ready for ranked-choice voting.
Max Wibby
South Portland
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