In a news release from the Committee for Ranked Choice Voting, the organization announced its intention to seek a court-ordered injunction against Maine’s Secretary of State forcing him to follow Maine’s voter-approved Ranked Choice Voting Law.
Dick Woodbury, the Chair of the Committee said, “In the 15 months since voters enacted Ranked Choice Voting as Maine law, Secretary of State Matt Dunlap has consistently avoided its implementation."
On February 16, 2018, the committee joined eight candidates for Governor, Congress, and the Maine Legislature in asking the Court to order implementation.
This week, before the Democratic Caucus in Maine, Mr. Dunlap was said to have told lawmakers that indeed, he has no intention of implementing RCV without further legislative authority.
Dick Woodbury countered, “All Maine people should be stunned by this latest affront to democracy and to the rule of law. I used to believe that Maine politics had integrity. But this latest attempt to block implementation of Ranked Choice Voting is outrageous and cannot stand.”
Ranked Choice Voting became Maine law on January 7, 2017.
On October 23, 2017, in a special session, both houses of the Maine legislature voted to delay and repeal the law. Voters in Maine responded by exercising their constitutional right to direct democracy and successfully restored the law in time for the June 12 primary by collecting more than 80,000 signatures from registered voters in an 88-day timeframe in the middle of winter.
Kyle Bailey is the campaign manager for the RCV Committee, he noted, “The people’s right to direct democracy is protected in our Constitution and this undemocratic behavior is a desperate last-minute attempt by Maine’s Secretary of State to avoid obeying the law. Politicians who think that they know better than the Maine people keep underestimating the Maine people. We will not stand by and allow Secretary Dunlap to avoid his obligation to follow the law.”