RCV America

The state will be the first to use a ballot that lets voters rank their preferences in Congressional races.

By Jessie Scanlon October 17, 2018, 1:46 p.m.

ON A COOL MONDAY EVENING in late September, Kyle Bailey stands at a high-top table at the back of Nonesuch River Brewing in Scarborough, Maine. The brewery’s customers, bundled in flannels and fleece, are talking with friends over burgers or poutine, mostly unaware of Bailey. A tall man with a shaved head and a big voice with a hint of a Georgia accent, the veteran political campaigner presses on, calling out votes.

“Six for the blonde, 11 for the IPA, 4 for the ESB, 6 for the red, and 11 for the stout,” Bailey says, as a colleague jots down the numbers on a whiteboard. This isn’t consumer research on Nonesuch River’s newest beer — it’s a demonstration of ranked-choice voting, the way Maine is starting to run many of its statewide elections.

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