Maine Democrats push back on DNC proposal limiting ranked choice voting in 2028 Primary

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - Maine Democrats are pushing back against a proposed new policy from the Democratic National Committee that would limit how ranked choice voting is used in the 2028 presidential primaries.

In a DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee (RBC) meeting in May, members proposed a new policy to formalize what the DNC says is a pre-existing practice. The rule would only count first round votes to allocate delegates rather than the over-all winner determined through ranked choice tabulation.

Maine became the first state to expand ranked choice voting to presidential elections in 2020. Five other states have since adopted RCV in primaries, with six additional states using RCV to select convention delegates.

Maine Democrats are speaking out against this proposed policy fearing it “could prevent Maine’s delegation from being seated” at the 2028 Democratic National Convention.

Under the proposal, delegates would be allocated to any candidate who receives 15% or more of the vote. If no candidate reaches that threshold, it would drop to 7.5%.

Critics of the proposal say the committee is overriding bipartisan decisions by states that have adopted RCV, calling the proposal “overstepping” and “stripping away” states’ rights to run their own elections.

“We’ve put a lot of time, energy, manpower, and love into building this secure system. And for the DNC to just out of nowhere say, ‘We’re not going to listen to your voice, we’re not going to respect your form of democracy that you’ve decided, that the voters of Maine have repeatedly decided,’ I think is insulting,” said Rep. Laura Supica.

Supica represents District 22 and is the House Chair of the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee, who helps oversee Maine election laws.

Co-Chair of the DNC RBC Jim Roosevelt issued a response to the criticisms, saying:

“Ranked Choice Voting is incompatible with the party’s delegate allocation process at this time, since RCV is a winner-take-all system while the DNC uses proportional delegate allocation. However, the Rules and Bylaws Committee respects the right of every state to make their own decisions on important voting procedures, which is why the rules include clear guidance for states with statutory requirements like Maine. We look forward to working with the Maine Democratic Party to ensure every Mainer’s voice is heard in the 2028 presidential primary.”

The proposal will require approval by the full DNC at its next meeting on August 15.