Portland Voters Will Decide Whether To Expand Ranked-choice Voting

PORTLAND, Maine — Voters here will have an opportunity on Tuesday to expand the use of ranked-choice voting in its municipal elections. The method allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, reapportioning the second and third choices of voters who favored the lowest-placed candidates, which reduces the likelihood of “spoilers.” Currently, the method is used to determine the city mayor, a role that has been decided by election since 2011.