Now is the time for ranked choice voting for president

To the Editor;
Our beloved Maine comprises a forward-looking and earnest population that includes citizens and legislators who’ve worked mightily over the past five years to pass ranked-choice voting into law.

On one ballot, a voter’s truly desired candidates are ranked in order of preference so that candidates of all persuasions have a fair chance to win a majority of votes. Maine is the first to make this courageous change in our election laws. Our 2018 election clearly demonstrated successfully and effectively ranked-choice voting for the first time.

Yet, there is still more law-making to accomplish so that all voters are empowered to become full participants in an authentic representative democracy on all levels of governance. As the law reads now, we voters can rank our choices for U.S. Senators and U.S. Congress members but not U.S. President.

As we near the end of this current legislative session, it is crucial that we contact our district’s House Representatives now to express support for LD 1083 “An Act To Implement Ranked Choice Voting for Presidential Primary and General Elections in Main”’ because right now is our last chance for such a bill, if passed any time in the next four weeks, to improve our voting system in Maine in time for the 2020 presidential election. Go online to http://legislature.maine.gov/house/house/ or call the House’s Clerk’s Office at 287-1400 to leave your message for your district representative.

Sidney Mitchell
Dover-Foxcroft