AUGUSTA (AP) — A bill to delay ranked-choice voting has become law without the signature of Maine Gov. Paul LePage.
A spokeswoman for the Republican governor confirmed Monday that LePage declined to sign the bill that delays implementing the new law until at least 2021.
Mainers approved the election system that allows voters to rank their top candidate choices rather than just picking one.
The system is designed to ensure that the winner gets a majority. But Maine’s highest court earlier this year issued an advisory opinion saying the ranked-choice voting system is unconstitutional for some elections.
Lawmakers ultimately voted to delay the law, which will be repealed in 2021 unless the Maine Constitution is amended to explicitly allow ranked-choice voting.
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