SP0315
LD 1083
Session - 129th Maine Legislature
C "A", Filing Number S-313, Sponsored by
LR 1160
Item 2
Bill Tracking, Additional Documents Chamber Status

Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting the following:

Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §1, sub-§27-C,  as repealed and replaced by PL 2017, c. 316, §1, is amended to read:

27-C. Elections determined by ranked-choice voting.  "Elections determined by ranked-choice voting" means any of the following elections in which 3 or more candidates have qualified to be listed on the ballot for a particular office or at least 2 such candidates plus one or more declared write-in candidates have qualified for that particular office:
A. Primary elections for the offices of United States Senator, United States Representative to Congress, Governor, State Senator and State Representative;
B. General and special elections for the offices of United States Senator and United States Representative to Congress; and
D General elections for presidential electors; and

Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §1, sub-§27-C, ¶E  is enacted to read:

E Primary elections for the office of President of the United States.

Sec. 3. 21-A MRSA §723-A, sub-§5-B  is enacted to read:

5-B Presidential primary elections; selection of delegates.   Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary, selection and allocation of delegates to a party's national presidential nominating convention must be in accordance with any reasonable procedures established at the state party convention.

Sec. 4. 21-A MRSA §801, sub-§2  is enacted to read:

2 Counting of ballots.   Counting of ballots for candidates for President must proceed according to the ranked-choice method of counting votes described in section 723-A.

Sec. 5. 21-A MRSA §805, sub-§2,  as enacted by PL 1985, c. 161, §6, is amended to read:

2. Presidential electors.  The presidential electors at large shall cast their ballots for the presidential and vice-presidential candidates who received the largest number of votes in the State according to the ranked-choice method of counting votes described in section 723-A. The presidential electors of each congressional district shall cast their ballots for the presidential and vice-presidential candidates who received the largest number of votes in each respective congressional district according to the ranked-choice method of counting votes described in section 723-A.

Sec. 6. Contingent effective date. Those sections of this Act that enact the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 21-A, section 1, subsection 27-C, paragraph E and Title 21-A, section 723-A, subsection 5-B take effect upon the enactment of laws adopting a presidential primary election in this State.’

summary

This amendment, which is the majority report of the committee, strikes and replaces the bill. Under the amendment, general elections for presidential electors must be determined by ranked-choice voting. The amendment further provides that, if a law establishing a presidential primary election is enacted in the State, primary elections for the office of President of the United States must be determined by ranked-choice voting.


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