Did you know that if you collect enough signatures you can get anything on a ballot to be voted on as a Citizens Initiative here in Maine? Even if it is unconstitutional. That is what has happened with an issue called Rank Choice Voting or RCV. If this measure passes, Maine would be the first state to dramatically change its voting process.

The Maine Constitution states clearly that the candidate with the plurality of the votes is the winner. The promoters of RCV are being deceptive in trying to promote the change as a more democratic way of electing politicians. That is simply not the case. The way we vote now is simple and fair. You vote for the one person you want to represent you. The person who gets the most votes wins. With RCV you rate your choices and in essence get more than one vote.

The way the votes would be tabulated is confusing and complex involving a series of reallocating votes and eliminating candidates who get the least votes. Rank choice voting would also require the ballots to be counted at a central location which means that each town in the entire State has to safely and securely transport the ballots to Augusta.

Personally, I like my local town clerk to count the votes locally. If you look up and find a video trying to explain how RCV works it’s difficult to follow and gives no proof that it will improve the process.

I urge you to read the actual wording of the bill which can be found on the Secretary of States website and ask yourself. Do we really want to vote in favor of a bill that is clearly unconstitutional? Do we want to fundamentally change the way we vote?

Is it fair that some peoples vote will not count at all while some votes will count more than once? To me the choice is clear. I plan to say NO on Rank Choice Voting this November.

Kerin Resch lives in Warren