Ready for RCV

Last November, a majority of voters passed the Ranked Choice Voting law, allowing voters to rank candidates for a particular political office in order of preference. The passage of this law ensured that our representatives would be backed by a majority of voters in future elections. Extremists of any type would find winning harder. Elected moderates would find governing easier, their work more effective, the solutions to problems more reasonable.

This past spring, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court was asked by those unhappy with the voter-approved change to rule on the constitutionality of the resolution. The court determined that the general elections for governor, state senate, and state house covered by the law conflicted with the plurality rule in the State Constitution. The court could not apply this ruling to the other 7 elections because federal and primary elections are governed by separate statutes.

Legislators know well the pluses and minuses of the current system compared to the ranked choice system proposed by voters. The clear path is to respect the will of the voters, implement the legal parts of the law now, and send an amendment to the voters deciding whether to change the Constitution to allow for the use of ranked choice voting in those 3 elections in question.

The June 2018 primaries will arrive sooner than we realize. Ranked choice voting is perfectly legal to use in the primaries. Let’s take the time now to make sure that administrators, candidates, and voters are prepared to operate in this system for these elections.

George Waldman,
Harpswell

Thank You, Senator

Thank you Sen. Collins for voting to fund climate treaty.

The temperature of our climate is rising at an alarming rate. This rise in temperature is increasing air pollution and negatively affecting human health. Our oceans are warming, causing a rise in sea level and disrupting marine animals. Extreme weather is becoming more common and severe, harming humans and affecting our communities.

Thank you Senator Collins for voting to reinstate funding for the UNFCC and the IPCC. Funding to programs like the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is critical to combat climate change. These programs are working to combat climate change so that we, and future generations, can live in a clean and safe environment.

In Maine we are especially affected by the warming of the Gulf of Maine, which forces our marine animals to migrate and hurts our fishing industry. We are also impacted by air pollution, leading to an increase in kids with asthma and other health problems. Senator Collins has the interests of the people of Maine in mind, and her vote to reinstate funding for programs that work to combat climate change shows that she prioritizes the health and safety of Mainers.

Jacqueline Guyol,
Environment Maine,
Portland