PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - The Latest on a lawsuit challenging Maine’s voting system (all times local):
3:10 p.m.
Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin says he won re-election “fair and square” and says he has a duty to fight Maine’s new voting system that he says is unconstitutional.
Poliquin spoke to reporters Tuesday in Augusta after joining a lawsuit that seeks to overturn Maine’s ranked-choice voting system, used for the first time last week in U.S. House and Senate elections.
The congressman told reporters in Augusta that “not addressing this important constitutional matter would be completely irresponsible and not doing my job.” He called the system that lets voters rank all candidates on the ballot “convoluted” and “chaotic.”
Poliquin received the most first-place votes and believes he should be declared the winner. But the voting system is required because neither he nor Democrat Jared Golden won an outright majority.
___
11:50 a.m.
The campaign manager for Democratic congressional candidate Jared Golden says a lawsuit aimed at blocking Maine’s voting system is “an affront to the law and to the people of Maine.”
Jon Breed said Tuesday that Republican Rep. Bruce Poliquin knew the ranked-choice voting rules going into the election and that the people of Maine’s 2nd Congressional District voted “in accordance with the law.”
Poliquin, one of the plaintiffs, received more first-place votes than Golden on Election Day and believes he should be declared the winner. But the ranked-choice system requires additional voting rounds because neither he nor Golden won an outright majority.
The system lets voters rank candidates from first to last. It provides for eliminations of last-place candidates and reallocations of votes to ensure a majority winner. Maine election officials are in the process of scanning ballots for additional voting rounds.
___
11:30 a.m.
The leader of an electoral reform group that pressed for a 2016 referendum in which Mainers approved a new voting system is decrying a “sore loser lawsuit.”
Rob Richie from FairVote said Tuesday he believes a federal judge will rule in favor of Maine’s “ranked-choice voting” system, which was used for the first time in U.S. House and Senate races.
Republican Rep. Poliquin, one of the plaintiffs, received the most first-place votes on Election Day and believes he should be declared the winner.
But the ranked-choice voting system requires additional voting rounds because neither he nor Democrat Jared Golden won an outright majority.
The system lets voters rank candidates from first to last. It provides for eliminations of last-place candidates and reallocations of votes to ensure a majority winner.
___
10:40 a.m.
Maine’s top election official says he won’t stop tabulations despite a lawsuit by Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin and three others over the state’s new voting system, used for the first time in U.S. House and Senate elections.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday seeks a preliminary injunction, and a lawyer asked to stop the process of additional voting tabulations until a federal judge rules. Maine’s secretary of state declined to stop the process.
Poliquin received the most first-place votes on Election Day and believes he should be declared the winner. But the ranked-choice voting system requires additional voting rounds because neither he nor Democrat Jared Golden won an outright majority.
The system lets voters rank candidates from first to last. It provides for eliminations of last-place candidates and reallocations of votes to ensure a majority winner.
___
10:15 a.m.
Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin and three other voters are suing over Maine’s new voting system used for the first time in U.S. House and Senate elections.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in federal court. It seeks a preliminary injunction, and a lawyer for Poliquin’s campaign asked to stop the process of additional voting tabulations until a judge can rule.
Poliquin received the most first-place votes on Election Day and believes he should be declared the winner. But the ranked-choice voting system requires additional voting rounds because neither he nor Democrat Jared Golden won an outright majority.
The voting system approved by referendum in 2016 lets voters rank candidates from first to last on the ballot. It provides for eliminations of last-place candidates and reallocations of votes to ensure that the winner gets a majority.
___
10 a.m.
Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin and three other voters are suing over Maine’s new voting system used for the first time in U.S. House and Senate elections.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court, seeks a preliminary injunction and the campaign asked to stop the process of additional voting tabulations until a judge can rule.
Poliquin received the most first-place votes on Election Day and believe he should be declared the winner. But the ranked-choice voting system requires additional voting rounds because neither he nor Democrat Jared Golden won an outright majority.
The voting system approved by referendum in 2016 lets voters rank candidates from first to last on the ballot. It provides for eliminations of last-place candidates and reallocations of votes to ensure that the winner gets a majority.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.