Election officials say a ranked-choice voting tabulation aimed at determining the winner of a key congressional race in Maine starts in the coming week. Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden claims he won the election but the secretary of state said neither Golden nor Republican Austin Theriault surpassed 50% of first-place votes.
Rep. Jared Golden, D- Maine , walks down a hallway before addressing the media Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 6, 2024, during a press conference at his campaign office in Lewiston, Maine . Republican congressional candidate Austin Theriault, right speaks with Carlos Kennelly, left, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 outside the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine . FILE - Rep. Jared Golden, D- Maine , speaks at a news conference, Nov. 1, 2022, at the State House, in Augusta, Maine . FILE - State Rep.
Under Maine’s ranked choice voting, voters rank candidates in order of preference on ballots. If no candidate wins a majority of first-place votes, then the lesser choices of the last-place finisher’s supporters are reallocated to establish a majority winner. Election officials intend to begin scanning ballots into a computer Tuesday afternoon with a goal of running the tabulation by week’s end, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said Saturday. After ranked voting is concluded, state election officials will begin a formal recount requested by Theriault based on the razor-thin margin.As it stands, both candidates were just below 49%, with Golden holding a slight edge of about 2,000 votes, according to figures released by the secretary of state.
Golden and Theriault were the only candidates on the ballot, but Diana Merenda of Surry, who ran an organized write-in candidacy, received several hundred votes. The second choices of any voters who left their first choice blank also will be counted. Other write-in candidates will be treated as blanks.won the 2nd District, allowing him to collect one of Maine’s four electoral votes.
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