AUGUSTA, Maine — This week, Maine’s congressional race is entering a crucial phase as its ranked choice voting system is put into action to identify the victor. However, the conclusion of this process will not necessarily finalize the election outcome immediately. The candidate currently in second place has sought a complete recount, which will only commence after over 12,000 votes are redistributed to achieve a majority winner.
Election officials are aiming to efficiently manage both the vote redistribution and the recount so that the results can be certified and submitted to the governor by the state’s deadline of November 25. However, it is worth noting that state statutes permit extensions for recounts.
The spotlight on this particular race is significant. The contest pits Democratic Representative Jared Golden against Republican challenger Austin Theriault in Maine’s second congressional district, one of the few remaining undecided races that will influence which party takes control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Golden is an incumbent and a Marine Corps veteran known for sometimes diverging from his party’s positions, while Theriault is a stock car driver advocating for conservative principles but also presenting himself as a potential bridge-builder in Congress. The importance of the race has attracted considerable attention and financial support, exceeding $30 million—a notable amount for a predominantly rural district.
As of Monday, there were fewer than 20 races yet to be concluded that would impact the balance of power in the House following recent outcomes, including a narrow Democratic victory in Maryland and a Republican win in Arizona.
So, what does ranked choice voting entail? Established by Maine voters in 2016, this voting method allows individuals to rank their preferred candidates. If no single candidate achieves a 50% majority from first-choice votes, the tabulation process continues in rounds, redistributing the votes from the candidate with the least support until one candidate emerges with an overall majority.
Representative Golden is experienced with this voting methodology, having had to go through additional rounds when he defeated Republican Representative Bruce Poliquin in both 2018 and during a rematch in 2022. In the initial election, although Poliquin initially led in first-choice votes, Golden ultimately triumphed after the second-choice votes were considered. In their follow-up clash, Golden again claimed the most first-choice votes and secured victory once more.
Looking ahead, Golden has asserted that he won the election outright after various media declared him the winner. However, the secretary of state clarified that the ranked choice voting procedure was essential since neither candidate had obtained the necessary 50% of first-round votes to be declared a winner.
All ballots were subsequently transported from various locations within the 2nd Congressional District to a facility in Augusta housing the Maine Emergency Management Agency and the Maine Department of Safety.
Beginning on Tuesday, election workers will initiate the process of scanning the thousands of ballots into a computer system. Once that task is complete, the ranked tabulation can occur in a matter of seconds with simple keystrokes. Officials are aiming for this process to wrap up by the end of the week.
The entire event will be transparent and accessible to the public, as it will be livestreamed on the secretary of state’s department YouTube channel. However, the completion of the ranked choice process does not signify the end of developments. Before the ranked choice approach was confirmed, Theriault had requested a recount, which is expected to take over a week.
The race is exceptionally close, with reports indicating that both candidates received just under 49% of the first-choice votes; Golden currently leads by approximately 2,000 votes according to the secretary of state’s latest figures.
Given the narrow margin, the final decision could hinge on the second choices of those who voted for the only declared write-in candidate, retiree Diana Merenda, who received about 400 votes, as well as over 12,000 ballots that were submitted without a selection. The ranked choice calculation will evaluate whether any of the blank ballots contained secondary or tertiary choices despite lacking a first-choice selection.
It is important to note that any completely blank ballots—where no candidates are selected—will not be considered. Furthermore, ballots containing undeclared write-in candidates will also be ineligible for counting.