Page 4 - AT

A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 16 November 2018

Democrat flips U.S. House seat in Maine ranked balloting

By MARINA VILLENEUVE A computer algorithm real-
Associated Press located the second-place
UGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A votes, giving Golden a
Democrat who trailed a lead of nearly 3,000 votes.
Republican incumbent Poliquin questioned the
in a costly U.S. House election results Thursday
race came from behind under Maine’s ranked-
to emerge as the victor choice voting law. He re-
Thursday following extra peated his claim he “won
rounds of tabulations under the constitutional ‘one-per-
Maine’s new voting system son, one-vote’ first-choice
that’s facing a legal chal- election” on Election Day.
lenge. Poliquin also said he isn’t
Election officials declared abandoning a federal law-
Jared Golden the winner, suit in which he seeks to
flipping the seat held by have Maine’s new ranked-
two-term Rep. Bruce Poli- choice voting system de-
quin, after a federal judge clared unconstitutional.
declined to halt tabula- The legal challenge by Poli-
tions in the state’s ranked- In this Nov. 6, 2018 file photo, Democrat Jared Golden, left, joined by wife Isobel, right, speaks quin and three GOP activ-
choice voting system used to supporters as they wait for results in the 2nd Congressional District election in Lewiston, Maine. ists served as the backdrop
in last week’s election. It Associated Press for the dramatic finale of a
was the first time an incum- The outcome was a dra- ranked-choice voting sys- es. Golden’s election fur- hard-fought battle that be-
bent has lost that seat in matic reversal in the na- tem used for the first time in ther strengthens a majority came the most expensive
more than 100 years. tion’s only test of the U.S. House and Senate rac- for Democrats who swept congressional race in state
into power in the House. His history.
election leaves Sen. Susan The lawsuit remains alive
Collins, of Maine, the lone even though U.S. District
Republican member of Judge Lance Walker de-
Congress in New England. clined Poliquin’s request to
Golden, a Marine Corps stop tabulations.
veteran, declared himself In his decision, however,
the “majority consensus the judge said it doesn’t
winner” and told reporters appear the Constitution
he wants to bring to Wash- prohibits an election pro-
ington, D.C., the type of cess with more than one
leadership he saw in the round of ballot counting.
Marines. He also said it’s plausible
“The best leaders were the Constitution allows
the ones who didn’t worry states “sufficient leeway to
about who got credit for experiment with the elec-
getting the job done,” he tion process.”
said. “Imagine what Con- Golden said he didn’t
gress could do if we had think the ongoing litigation
more leaders like that in would prevent him from
Washington?” he added. being seated in January.
The ranked-choice system, During a press conference,
approved in 2016, lets vot- Golden said he’s willing to
ers rank all candidates work with Republicans and
from first to last on the bal- that his focus will be on get-
lot. If no one gets a major- ting things done, not in the
ity, then last-place candi- ongoing investigations of
dates are eliminated and President Donald Trump.
their second-place votes He also said he wouldn’t
are reallocated. vote for Democratic Cali-
In this case, Poliquin and fornia Rep. Nancy Pelosi to
Golden both collected 46 serve as House speaker.
percent of first-place votes, For now, the ranked-choice
with Poliquin maintaining a voting system is used only in
slim edge of about 2,000 federal races and in state-
votes. But additional tabu- wide primary elections in
lations were triggered be- Maine. It cannot be used
cause no one collected a in the governor’s race or
majority. legislative races because
On Thursday, Golden over- of concerns it runs afoul of
took Poliquin after state the state constitution.
election officials eliminat- Democratic Gov.-elect Ja-
ed two independent can- net Mills has said she will try
didates who trailed, col- to amend Maine’s constitu-
lectively gathering about 8 tion so the system can be
percent of first-place votes. used in all elections.q