The League of Women Voters of Maine is a leading voice in advocacy for more representative voting methods. For more than a decade, the League has been providing education and advocacy in support of Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) to ensure that the individuals elected in single-winner races are supported by the majority of voters they are to represent. The League recognizes that its work on this front is not yet complete and continues to advocate for full implementation of Ranked Choice Voting in single-winner elections. See the LWVME position on single-winner RCV.
However, the LWVME Advocacy Committee has become increasingly concerned that election methods common in Maine (such as Vote-for-N elections, widely used in municipal elections) may not reliably deliver proportional representation.
In 2021, the Advocacy Committee requested authorization to launch a League study of Proportional Ranked Choice Voting (pRCV), an election method designed to better achieve proportional representation on multi-seat councils, boards, and legislatures. For a quick introduction to pRCV, we recommend this three-minute post-it note demonstration. With Board support, the pRCV Study Committee was convened in early 2022 and now presents this study guide to League members and supporters.
Read the full study here.
Are YOU ready to try pRCV?
In a pRCV contest, each voter completes a ranked choice ballot, exactly like we do in a single-winner RCV contest. And then tabulation (vote counting) software uses the pRCV counting rules to translate those ranked choice ballots into a set of winners that will broadly satisfy the participating voters. You can read all about it in our study guide, but it might be more fun to try it yourself!
We want to elect councils and boards that accurately reflect the whole community – and we know that you didn’t serve three pepperoni pizzas at your Super Bowl party, leaving the vegetarian minority to go hungry. The Study Committee has set up a model pRCV ‘election,’ designed to identify three pizzas that will best satisfy the participating voters. Click here to add your vote, and then explore the round-by-round count to find out which pizzas are currently in the lead.
Brief Introductions to pRCV
Dive Deeper into pRCV
What is a study?
Study makes action possible. During the study phase, members have an opportunity to examine the facts, along with key pro and con arguments. They are encouraged to discuss the political realities of action on that issue and to engage members of the broader community in the discussion. Study gives members the knowledge that makes League action uniquely credible. Learn more about the League study process here.
Who can participate in the study?
Only League members can participate in a League study.
General Study Timeline
January: League members are asked to read through the study materials.
February: The pRCV study committee will offer several introductory webinars. The goal of these is to help League members better understand the subject matter and ask questions.
March-April: Local Leagues will hold consensus meetings. During these meetings, Leagues are provided with questions to help guide the discussions. Leagues will review the study materials, talk through the pros and cons, and come to a consensus. They will send their consensus to the study committee.
May: If a consensus has been reached, the study committee will prepare a statement/position and submit it to the LWVME board.
June: League members will vote and approve of the new position at the state LWVME Convention.
Materials:
- Introductory webinar (1 hour): This webinar provides a broad overview of the material in the written study guide. Click here to view the recording. Powerpoint slides from the presentation are available here.
- Written study guide (1-2 hours): You could probably skim it in an hour, though there may be sections that you’ll want to explore in more detail. Click here to read the guide.
- A sample pRCV "election" (5-10 minutes): This is designed to identify the three pizzas that can broadly satisfy the participating "voters." Click here to add your vote, and then explore the round-by-round count to find out which pizzas are currently in the lead.
- Quick Explainer (3 minutes): Check out this cute video from Minnesota Public Radio that uses post-it notes to demonstrate how votes are counted in a pRCV contest.
- *Optional* Dive into the mechanics (1 hour): We've prepared a more technical webinar to better understand how the pRCV tabulation process can translate ranked choice ballots into proportional representation in a nonpartisan, municipal election. We've analyzed the cast vote record from the 2021 Portland Charter Commission Election -- so you don't have to. This webinar provides much more detail than you need to participate in the consensus process, but may be helpful to individuals who might not be easily convinced that the standard "demonstration" tabulations are capturing something real. Click here to watch the recording. Click here to access the powerpoint slides.