The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
David Kimball is the Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Joseph Anthony is an assistant professor of political science at the State University of New York in Cortland. This column reflects their views and expertise and does not speak on behalf of their respective institutions. They contribute this column at the invitation of the Maine chapter of the national Scholars Strategy Network, which brings together scholars across the country to address public challenges and their policy implications. Members’ columns appear regularly in the BDN.
Since Maine is considering expanding the use of ranked-choice voting (RCV), we want to share what research shows about its impacts in the 10 years since Maine has adopted the system.
In addition to Maine, Alaska and dozens of American cities now use ranked choice voting to elect government officials. In the United States, RCV is primarily used in local elections, which are mostly nonpartisan, while Maine uses it for partisan state and federal elections. As a result, some effects of RCV in local elections may vary in Maine’s partisan context.
RCV asks voters to rank candidates in order of preference, allowing for a more complete expression of voter choice than the familiar system in which people vote for a single candidate. It also reduces voter concerns about “wasting” a vote on a less viable candidate, since their vote will transfer to their second-choice candidate. As a result, RCV generally leads to increased support for third-party candidates.
Similarly, independent and third-party candidates are less likely to be seen as “spoilers” for a better-known candidate, so RCV elections tend to attract more candidates, including candidates from minority groups. Research also finds that women — and women of color in particular — have a greater chance of winning seats in local elections using RCV rules. However, the larger, more diverse candidate pool in RCV elections diminishes after a few years.
Since voters can rank multiple candidates, candidates have an incentive to appeal for second choice votes from people who prefer other candidates. In American cities using RCV, voters and candidates report less negativity and more satisfaction with campaigns than voters in comparable cities using single choice voting rules. News coverage and social media content also indicate a more civil tone in cities using ranked-choice voting rules. However, as Mainers likely have noticed, negative campaigning has increased in the state since the adoption of RCV in 2018.
The vote-counting process, which can involve multiple rounds, can be a double-edged sword. In 2018, there was not a majority winner after the first round of counting in the race for Maine’s Second Congressional District, and third-party candidates received about 8% of the total vote. After the second round, Democrat Jared Golden was declared the winner over incumbent Republican Bruce Poliquin, the leader in the first round.
These come-from-behind victories can reduce voter support for RCV, although opposition tends to diminish as voters become more familiar with the system. In some cases, discontent translates into organized efforts to repeal RCV. Similar attempts were made by the Poliquin campaign in 2018 to challenge the new RCV system, though these challenges ultimately failed in court.
RCV also adds to the complexity of voting and tabulating ballots. There is some evidence of increased voter confusion with ranked-choice voting rules, particularly among disadvantaged communities. Voters who report confusion with RCV tend to rank fewer candidates and report lower confidence in the accuracy of ballot counting.
Nevertheless, most voters in RCV elections rank more than one candidate, unless a candidate or party instructs supporters to only rank one candidate. And providing information about candidates, like a voter guide, reduces voter confusion, while voting in multiple elections with ranked-choice voting rules increases voter understanding about how RCV works.
When it comes to voter participation, some studies find little to no change in voter turnout after the adoption of RCV in American elections. Others find higher turnout in RCV elections. On balance, it does not appear that voter turnout changes much after the adoption of RCV rules.
Overall, RCV can increase the number of candidates running for office and encourage more civil campaigns. RCV systems can also increase complexity and voter confusion, until voters become more familiar with the system. As Maine considers expanding the use of RCV, we hope this evidence helps inform the debate.
