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A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 23 september 2020
Ranked choice voting in Maine a go for presidential election

By DAVID SHARP The fast-paced, 11th-hour
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — legal machinations re-
Ranked choice voting will solved Tuesday followed
be used for the first time in a the secretary of state's re-
presidential race in the U.S. jection of the referendum,
under a ruling Tuesday by ruling the GOP fell short of
the Maine Supreme Court, the needed level of 67,067
which concluded that a signatures of registered vot-
GOP-led petition drive in- ers to force a referendum.
tended to prevent its use The Maine GOP had ap-
came up short. pealed that decision and
The Supreme Judicial Court a state judge reinstated
concluded the Maine Re- enough signatures to sur-
publican Party failed to pass the minimum by 22
reach the threshold of signatures.
signatures needed for a The issue before the state
"People's Veto" referendum Supreme Court focused on
aimed at rejecting a state a narrow question of wheth-
law that expands ranked er signature gatherers must
choice voting to the presi- be registered to vote in the
dential election. town where they are circu-
"This is a powerful moment lating petitions at the time
for ranked choice voting they started.
supporters: Voters will, for In this Dec. 6, 2018, file photo, ballots are recounted in Maine's 2nd Congressional District in Au- The Supreme Judicial Court
the first time, use ranked gusta, Maine. ruled unanimously Tuesday
choice voting to elect the Associated Press that the requirements don't
highest office in the coun- violate First Amendment
try," said Rob Richie, presi- voters are allowed to rank U.S. Senate race between voters in 2016, has become rights of signature gather-
dent and CEO of FairVote, all candidates on the bal- Republican incumbent Su- a partisan issue in the state, ers. That conclusion invali-
which advocates for the lot. If no one wins a major- san Collins and Democrat where Republican U.S. Rep. dated 988 signatures, deliv-
voting reform. ity of first-place votes, then Sara Gideon, the Maine Bruce Poliquin was ousted ering a defeat to the GOP.
The court's decision, just six there are additional tabu- House speaker. in 2018 despite collecting But the Maine GOP wasn't
weeks before the election, lations, aided by comput- The voting system adds an- the most first-place votes. yet conceding on Tuesday.
was issued after the state ers, in which last-place fin- other wrinkle to the presi- Supporters say the ranked The party is "exploring fur-
already began printing ishers are eliminated and dential contest in Maine, choice voting system elimi- ther options for review by
ballots using a grid-style for votes reallocated based on which — as one of two nates the impact of so- the federal courts to pro-
ranked elections. those supporters' second- states that divide elector- called "spoiler candidates" tect Maine voters' rights to
"As we have already print- place choices. Transport- al votes — already does and produces a majority be heard," its chair, Demi
ed the ballots, due to the ing the ballots to Augusta things differently. winner. Critics say it's un- Kouzounas, said.
federal deadlines we must for additional tabulations In the last presidential elec- necessarily complicated Anna Kellar, executive di-
meet to provide ballots for delays results for about a tion, Democrat Hillary Clin- and disenfranchises voters rector for The League of
overseas and military vot- week. ton won three electoral who don't understand it. Women Voters, which sup-
ers, this decision comes as In Maine, the presiden- votes while Trump won one The constitutionality of the ports the voting reform,
a great relief and avoids tial ballot will feature five electoral vote in the 2nd voting system has been said the court's decision is
the complications, con- names, including Repub- Congressional District, un- twice upheld by a federal a victory for "every Mainer
fusion and expense that lican President Donald derscoring political divisions judge in Maine. However, who sat around kitchen
would have arisen from re- Trump and Democratic between the state's liberal, ranked voting is not used in tables and in basements
printing and reissuing bal- challenger Joe Biden. urban south and conserva- the governor's race or leg- years ago, wondering how
lots," said Secretary of State Ranked voting will also be tive north. islative contests because we could ensure more
Matthew Dunlap. used in U.S. House races The ranked choice voting it runs afoul of the Maine votes would be heard in
Under the voting system, and the closely watched system, approved by Maine Constitution. our elections."q

Court reviewer: Ohio State broke law by withholding records

By KANTELE FRANKO the records for five months, until the of the nation's largest public universi-
Associated Press release of a law firm investigation ties, but it feels like a huge win to Sny-
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State conducted for the university that der-Hill, who also is part of one of the
University violated state public re- confirmed years of abuse by the de- ongoing federal lawsuits against Ohio
cords law by intentionally withholding ceased doctor and included infor- State by Strauss survivors.
old documents from one of the men mation from those records. "How can I and other survivors believe
alleging decades-old sexual miscon- The delay violated state law that re- that OSU is committed to true justice
duct by a school doctor, according quires the sharing of public records when they won't stop behaving this
to the conclusion reached Tuesday "within a reasonable period of time," way?" Snyder-Hill said in an emailed
by the official who reviewed the re- Ohio Court of Claims special mas- statement.
sulting legal dispute. ter Jeff Clark concluded in a report Clark rejected the university's de-
This undated file photo shows
a photo of Dr. Richard Strauss, In 2018, alumnus Steve Snyder-Hill re- filed for the court. It recommends the fense of the deliberate delay, which
an Ohio State University team quested records related to his having court adopt that finding and have argued in part that Ohio State had
doctor employed by the complained about being abused by the university pay Snyder-Hill's $25 fil- always been committed to making
school from 1978 until his 1998 Dr. Richard Strauss in the mid-1990s. ing fee and any other costs incurred Strauss-related records public but
retirement. The school said it would respond as in bringing the complaint. worried that sharing them bit by bit
Associated Press quickly as possible but didn't share That would be small change for one might hurt the investigation. q