Maine Supreme Court Rules Against Expanded Ranked-Choice Voting

April 7, 2026, 4:21 PM UTC

A proposed law expanding ranked-choice voting into Maine’s state offices would violate the state constitution, the Maine Supreme Court ruled.

The law would allow additional vote tabulations in conflict with the constitution’s provisions requiring a “plurality of votes,” the court said in a Monday advisory opinion.

“Voting by a plurality was not understood to mean anything other than that the person receiving the most votes was the winner of an election,” the opinion said. “The amendments to require a ‘plurality’ did not change what constitutes a vote under the Maine Constitution and did not ...

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