Dear Editor:

I’m writing to urge voters to contact their legislators in support of the Ranked Choice Voting bill, which was passed by the second largest "yes" vote on a referendum in Maine's history. Boothbay voted in favor of this 1,109 to 936. And Boothbay Harbor voted in favor 730 to 610. Unfortunately, it is now under attack by opponents in Augusta, who will likely revisit the option for full repeal of this law in the next legislative session.

I, for one, am looking forward to using ranked choice voting in the June 2018 primaries. The races for governor will have crowded fields in both of the major parties — at this early date there are at least seven announced candidates. Ranked choice voting will ensure that the nominee from each major party is backed by a majority of voters.

I also want to remind readers that it is not true that the law is unconstitutional in its entirety. Elections for primary and federal races are not governed by Maine's Constitution.

Still, I support using ranked choice voting for all 10 elections that the law was intended to cover. My support is based on two things in particular. First, this system replaces the need for lengthy and expensive runoff elections, like the ones I experienced as a former resident of Louisiana. I also support ranked choice voting because candidates have an incentive to run positive, issues-based campaigns in order to receive high-rankings from voters. This is a much better option, compared to the exaggerated threats and mean-spirited personal attacks that prevail in our current system. Our elections could become civil debates that encourage discussion and understanding — if not necessarily agreement — a far cry from the current state of politics.

Betsy Wing

East Boothbay