Is ranked-choice voting used in Maine’s general election for governor? | Fact brief

Maine doesn’t use ranked-choice voting in general elections for governor, state senator or state representative, even when more than two candidates qualify for the November ballot.

Voters approved ranked-choice voting by referendum in 2016. But in 2017, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court issued a unanimous advisory opinion that applying RCV to general elections for governor or the Legislature would violate the Maine Constitution. The constitution says those winners are chosen by plurality — the candidate with the most votes — not necessarily a majority.

Ranked-choice voting is used in general elections for federal offices, including president, U.S. Senate and U.S. House.

Lawmakers in 2025 passed LD 1666 to extend RCV to general and special elections for governor and legislative offices. But in April 2026, the court again concluded the proposal would violate the state constitution’s plurality requirements, and a constitutional amendment would be needed to change that.