The voters of Maine persist in going forward with ranked-choice voting

To the Editor;
Between now and Feb. 4, citizens in communities all over Maine are collecting signatures from registered voters to create a “People’s Veto Referendum” for our ranked-choice voting law that was passed by referendum in November 2016 but suppressed by the governor and legislature over this past year.

A successful people’s veto petition would prohibit any further challenges from our elected officials to go against the wishes of the voters to have a more authentic democracy in our state of Maine and would assure that our ranked-choice voting law would go into immediate effect. It would enable ranked-choice voting to apply to our primary election in June 2018 for all candidates who are contending for a place on the November 2018 ballot … and it would have a question on the June ballot to allow all Maine voters to again assert their desire for more choice and more voice in our electoral process by means of ranked-choice voting. This is a very exciting moment in Maine history.

If you are a voter who has not yet signed the petition, you may find out who is collecting signatures in your town by contacting the field director of the Maine Ranked-Choice Voting Campaign Chris Cayer at chris@rcvmaine.com or 391-5989.

You may also go to the website http://www.rcvmaine.com/ for more contact information and details on the purpose and value of ranked-choice voting as a means to ensure majority rule in our electoral process on all levels of government. For anyone who would like to sign in the Somerset, Piscataquis and western Penobscot County areas, you may call or email yours truly, volunteer signature collector Sidney Mitchell, at 564-8687 or blackflybait@gmail.com.

Sidney Mitchell
Dover-Foxcroft