If this Referendum Passes in Maine this will Encourage the Remaining States to Pass This Voting Method ENDING the Death Grip from the Republican & Democrat Monopoly.

Maine Ranked Choice Voting Initiative (2016)

The Maine Ranked Choice Voting Initiative is on the November 8, 2016, ballot in Maine as an indirect initiated state statute.

A vote "for" the measure would establish a statewide system of ranked-choice voting.

A vote "against" the measure would maintain the current voting system.

Ranked-choice voting (RCV) is also known as instant-runoff voting. If approved, ranked-choice voting would be used to elect U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives, the Governor, State Senators and State Representatives.^[1]

The initiative would define ranked-choice voting as "the method of casting and tabulating votes in which voters rank candidates in order of preference, tabulation proceeds in sequential rounds in which last-place candidates are defeated and the candidate with the most votes in the final round is elected."^[1]

http://www.rcvmaine.com/  Excellent short video explaining ranked choice voting.

WHAT IS RANKED CHOICE VOTING

Ranked choice voting allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference (i.e. first, second, third, fourth and so on). Voters have the option to rank as many or as few candidates as they wish. First choices are then tabulated, and if only two candidates received votes, the one with the most votes wins. Otherwise, the last-place candidate is eliminated. Voters who chose the now-eliminated candidate have their ballots added to the totals of their second-ranked candidate. For all other voters, their first choice still counts.

All ballots are then retabulated, with each ballot counting as one vote for each voter's highest ranked candidate who has not been eliminated. This process is repeated until only two candidates remain. The weakest candidates are successively eliminated, and their voters' ballots are added to the totals of their next choices until two candidates remain. At that point, the candidate who receives the most votes wins.

ADVANTAGES OF RANKED CHOICE VOTING

• RCV allows voters to vote for their favorite candidate without fear of helping elect their least favorite candidate. It minimizes strategic voting and eliminates the spoiler effect.
• RCV is most likely to elect a candidate with broad appeal. It ensures that winners enjoy majority support when matched against their top opponents.
• RCV encourages candidates to run with new ideas and dissenting opinions.

DYI Quick Comment:  This simple method if implemented in all fifty states will end the death grip from Republican & Democrat establishment candidates.  Opening up the process for additional political parties and their candidates as this competition will end the monopoly of shared power.      

• It promotes civility in campaigns and encourages winning candidates to reach out to more people, reducing negative attacks.
• Unlike traditional runoff elections, it accomplishes these goals in a single election. Traditional run-offs require candidates to raise much more money and are much prone to negative attacks ads.

DYI Comments:  This has the potential of seismic change if this referendum passes in Maine.  This passage would be the needed encouragement for passage in other states.  Currently the main stream press who are in the hip pocket of the establishment has ignored this ground breaking referendum hoping it will simply end in defeat.  If this passes AND has legs with other states look for politics from the establishment over the coming years to get malicious as this would end their monopoly.  They will not go down without a fight.

DYI