AUGUSTA, MAINE – Based on initial results of the first-choice votes in the Primary Election, the Department of the Secretary of State announced today the following races will proceed to ranked choice voting tabulation after no candidate achieved a majority of first-choice votes cast:

• Governor: Democrat

• Governor: Republican

• Congressional District 2: Democrat

Additional state-level races are still to be determined. Recounts, if any are requested, will be announced at a later date. The ranked choice tabulation process will begin this Friday, June 12 at 1 PM at the Maine Department of Public Safety Headquarters building located at 45 Commerce Drive in Augusta. The Department of the Secretary of State expects the tabulation process to be completed next week before the Juneteenth holiday. The ranked choice tabulation process is open to the public and media and will also be livestreamed on the Secretary of State’s YouTube page.

How Ranked Choice Voting works in Maine: In Ranked Choice Voting races, a candidate must receive more than 50% of the first-choice votes as counted on Election Day to win the race outright. If no candidate appears to have achieved this based on initial unofficial results reports from the municipalities, the Secretary of State’s Office makes the determination to proceed with the ranked-choice voting tabulation. The votes are tabulated in rounds, with the lowest-ranked candidate eliminated in each round until there are only two candidates remaining. The candidate determined to have received the majority (more than 50%) of the votes in the final round is declared the winner.  For more information about how ranked-choice races are tabulated, visit the RCV Resources webpage on the Secretary of State website.

Recount process: Maine statute Title 21-A, §737-A lays out a specific plan, process and any related costs for votes to be recounted. In a recount, representatives of each candidate and staff members from the Department of the Secretary of State manually review each paper ballot to determine the official vote tally:

• In Ranked Choice Voting races: only a candidate who received one of the top three rankings at the end of the penultimate round of ranked‑choice counting may request a recount. 

• In non-Ranked Choice races: any candidate other than the apparent winner who desires a recount must file with the Secretary of State a written request for a recount within five business days after the election. 

Official results will be available and posted within 20 days after the election on the Election Results page.