With our nation’s political situation resembling an ever-worsening nightmare, I am elated to see Maine voters holding fast to ranked-choice voting, a system that will finally replace “lesser of two evils” voting. Ranked-choice voting became Maine law in 2016 – and, outrageously, is under repeated attack by our legislators. Mainers are pushing back.

Ranked-choice voting lets us vote for candidates because we actually think they’d be good for our community, rather than because their opponent looks worse. It lets us vote for independents without fear that our vote will be “wasted.” In multiple-party elections (which are more and more common as the number of independent voters swells), ranked-choice voting protects us from being driven into the squeeze-chute of the two-party system, which all too often offers no candidate we either respect or trust.

Ranked-choice voting has been used successfully – in some cases for over a century – in countries like Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, and even in many U.S. cities.

It is the clear choice of the people of Maine: The referendum was introduced, not by politicians, but by citizens collecting signatures from other citizens for two full years. It won the “yes” vote in an election remarkable for its high turnout. Huge numbers of us have turned out to testify and lobby a recalcitrant state Legislature to implement it.

Yet, despite all this, last October our lawmakers voted to put the fledgling law into an induced coma, with a plan to pull the plug sometime down the road at their convenience. All that will save ranked-choice voting now is sufficient signatures on the people’s veto.

I urge all Mainers to sign the people’s veto. Go to www.rcvmaine.com and scroll down to the list of team captains. Contact a team captain, and you will be directed to a petition holder near you.

Doni Tamblyn

Portland

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