Lawsuit attempting to stop the People’s Veto would directly conflict with Maine’s Presidential Primary already held in March and potentially nullify votes
AUGUSTA, ME- Now, when it is clear tens of thousands of Democrats, Republicans, and independent voters have signed petitions to repeal provisions of ranked choice voting, out-of-state funded political operations are rushing to the courts to try and stop it.
Their lawsuit is without merit. These issues were already addressed by the Maine Secretary of State when the People’s Veto Effort was authorized to move forward.
The Secretary of State’s office informed RCV People’s Veto proponents in September 2019 that the application to begin the veto could not begin until after January of 2020. In doing so the Secretary of State’s office specifically noted the Attorney General’s Official Opinion No. 79-170, which has long guided the timing of Legislation and legal deadlines in Maine.
“The lawsuit filed today has no merit and it indicates the continued problems with ranked choice voting,” said Doctor Demi Kouzounas. “Tens of thousands of Maine voters have already signed petitions to repeal efforts to upend Maine’s long tradition of how we vote for President of the United States. Ranked Choice Voting was thrust upon Maine by and large with massive amounts of out-of-state funding, from a billionaire hedge funder from Texas. Now Maine citizens are going to take their voice back. We are not going to give up or be deterred by false lawsuits seeking to silence Maine voices.”
As the Forecaster newspaper accurately reported when ranked choice voting was first brought to Maine: “the RCV campaign in Maine has been partly bankrolled by John Arnold, a former Enron executive and billionaire hedge fund manager from Texas.” Texas Citizen John Arnold had used his vast fortune, made from Enron and hedge funds, to provide most of the money to thrust ranked choice voting on Maine. Tens of thousands of additional dollars were also funneled in from other out-of-state bankrolled entities to push it.
The lawsuit issued today would directly conflict with Maine’s Presidential Primary which took place in March and potentially nullify votes.
When Governor Mills took no action on ranked choice voting for Presidential election and said it would become law without her signature, the Associated Press and other Maine media outlets correctly noted that due to the timing of her actions the expansion would apply to the November Presidential Election and the Congressional Primaries but would not apply to Maine’s Presidential Primary. It was seen by political observers as a having her cake and eating it to move on timing.
If the false lawsuit filed today were to be enforced it could potentially nullify Maine’s March Presidential Primary, widely followed by the national media, and disenfranchise those voters as the election would have legally been required to be held under ranked choice voting.
