Ranked-choice voting (RCV), or broadly the ability to rank candidates according to voter preferences, has been a topic of close interest for several years. Maine was the first state to use RCV in federal elections, starting with the congressional election in 2018. This was expanded to include the first-ever ranked-choice presidential primary in 2020. After being used twice, we can begin to inquire into its impact on the voters and the political process in Maine.

Oh, that word. Elections. Did an involuntary shiver just run down your spine?

America’s multilayered system of governments and administrative jurisdictions creates some of the most complex combinations of ballots among Western industrialized democracies, with the U.S. Census finding over 89,000 governmental sub-state governments.

Amidst the cacophony of breaking news we live through each week, “election hacking” has become a familiar refrain in US politics. It’s trotted out routinely by wonks and politicians of all stripes in discussions on the 2016 elections; it looms over conversations about the midterms later this year.

Our favorite festive season falls between February and April every year. It’s not President’s Day, or even Patriots’ Day here in our home base of Massachusetts. It’s New Initiatives Grant season!