The Legislature should honor the will of the people and proceed to implement the new Ranked Choice Voting law in full for 2018. Please call your Senator at (207) 287-1540 and tell him/her to REJECT the call for a solemn occasion.

• This ballot initiative received our HIGHEST ENDORSEMENT.

• So many in our UU congregations worked so hard to win it. 

• Our victory was noted as "THE MOST VALUABLE STATE
ELECTORAL REFORM" by The Nation on its 2016 Progressive
Honor Roll (4th item from bottom).
 

But now it's threatened and needs our action. 

Ranked Choice Voting was approved by voters last November. It's the law of the State of Maine. But that hasn’t stopped opponents in Augusta from actively seeking to delay implementation, with the ultimate goal of repealing the law.

Tomorrow the Maine Senate will consider a rare procedural move (called a "Solemn Occasion") that would call into question the constitutionality of Maine’s Ranked Choice Voting law.  We need your help to defend the law NOW:

Call your Senator ASAP at (207) 287-1540.  Ask for a "NAY" vote on a proposed "solemn occasion" to delay implementation of RCV.  If you called last week, thank you, and please call again if you can.

Talking Points

• The Legislature should honor the will of the people and implement Maine's Ranked Choice Voting law in full for 2018. During a two year campaign, voters heard arguments in support of and in opposition to it. On Election Day, a majority -- nearly 400,000 Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Greens, and Libertarians -- voted to adopt Ranked Choice Voting for elections starting in 2018. Lawmakers should respect the will of the people and vote against an advisory opinion.

• Seeking an advisory opinion on existing Maine law is an unprecedented procedural move by opponents to draw the Maine Supreme Court into a political debate that has already been settled by Maine people. The Legislature should not fall into the trap of calling into question the integrity of our election system, the integrity of future elections that utilize Ranked Choice Voting, and the separation of powers. Lawmakers should vote against this rare procedural move to undermine existing Maine law.

• Courts in four states have ruled that Ranked Choice Voting upholds the principle of one person, one vote, ensures that candidates with the most votes -- a plurality -- are elected, and gives more voice to the people. Seeking an advisory opinion is a last ditch effort by opponents who lost at the ballot box to raise doubts about the law and slow down its implementation. Lawmakers should vote against an advisory opinion.

The League of Women Voters of Maine says:  "The law has been duly enacted by the people, and we have not seen a legitimate need for a legislative question to the Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality of a law already on the books — especially one enacted by the people."

Call your state Senator at (207) 287-1540.  Ask him/her to vote "NAY" on a proposed "solemn occasion" to delay implementation of Ranked Choice Voting.

Thank you for helping to defend the law.   For a list of State Senators by town, please click here.

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