Maine's Senate Race Could Go to a First-Ever Ranked-Choice Tabulation as Collins Faces Jackson
Maine voters cast ballots on November 3 for a U.S. senator, U.S. House members, governor and the full Legislature, with Portland, Cumberland County, among the communities voting until 8 p.m. The nationally watched Senate race pitted Republican incumbent Susan Collins, seeking a sixth term, against Democrat Troy Jackson, a former state Senate president, with six registered write-in candidates also in the field. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows noted that because Maine uses ranked-choice voting in statewide races with more than two candidates, the election would move to a ranked-choice tabulation if no one won a majority of first choices, the first time that would happen in a Maine Senate race, and the result would very likely not be known on election night. Based on past practice, ranked-choice tabulation typically concludes by the Friday of the following week, this year Friday, November 13. Early voting had already passed 2022 midterm levels, with 290,382 voters casting ballots by the previous Friday, more than 55% of them in person; lines at Portland City Hall exceeded an hour on Thursday, the last day to request absentee ballots or vote early in person. The governor's race was open, with Democrat Hannah Pingree, Republican Bobby Charles and unenrolled Rick Bennett competing, and Bellows projected statewide turnout could reach 70%.
(Source: USA Today)
Source: USA Today
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：缅因州议会大厦。Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 4.0。 / Photo: The Maine State House. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
