Maine Democrats are about to seriously screw voters ... and themselves

What if I told you that, last year, Maine voters passed one of the most substantial voting reforms in American history?

And now, what if I told you that Democrats in the state legislature were about to kill it?

That’s the situation we’re dealing with here in the great state of Maine, as the legislature—the lower half of which has a Democratic majority—prepares to vote to repeal the state’s new Ranked Choice Voting law, which was approved by 52 percent of voters in a statewide referendum last year.

Only a simple majority of both the House and Senate would be required to repeal the law. Republicans control the Senate, and Democrats have a slim 75-71 House majority over the GOP, and there are five independents. Already, at least three House Democrats back full repeal.

Here’s why Ranked Choice Voting is such a big deal:

• Ranked Choice Voting restores majority rule by empowering voters to rank candidates for state and congressional office from their most favorite to their least favorite. It ensures that candidates with the most votes and broadest support win—and we Mainers know a thing or two about the importance of majority rule after seeing Paul LePage win two gubernatorial elections without ever securing a majority. (And winning his first term with a paltry 38 percent of the vote.)
• Ranked Choice Voting won with 52 percent of the vote last fall. All told, 388,273 Mainers voted for Ranked Choice Voting—that's more votes than every Democratic legislator received combined, and is more votes than Paul LePage received in either of his two gubernatorial elections.

Then, last month, the state Supreme Court issued a nonbinding opinion saying that parts of the Ranked Choice Voting referendum passed by voters were unconstitutional. That sounds bad, but here's the thing: Repealing the law is NOT the legislature's only course of action.

Here are just a few things that the legislature could do that would acknowledge the court's opinion and still respect the will of the people:

• Amend the state constitution to allow for Ranked Choice Voting
• Amend the law to create a "trigger," so that the law would take effect only after the constitution is amended sometime down the road
• Create a dual system that would allow for Ranked Choice Voting in congressional races and primaries—with which the state Supreme Court took no issue

from Daily Kos http://ift.tt/2swItEY