On February 17, the Maine House & Senate Elections Committees heard LD 295, which says that a party can remain on the ballot if it polls 5% for president or governor. Current law only allows a party to remain on the ballot if it has 10,000 registered members who actually turn out and vote in a general election (it doesn’t matter whom they vote for).
The committee did not vote, but the reaction was good, and one committee member suggested 5% is too high. In response, the Secretary of State’s representative said that another bill is about to be introduced, which also allows a party to remain on the ballot if it has at least 5,000 registered members. She suggested the committee might want to hold up action on LD 295 until it also considers that new bill. A representative of the Libertarian Party also testified. No one testified against the bill.
If Maine adopted a Top 2 primary, they could use RCV for the primary to choose the Top 2, and then have the final two face off in the general election.
(1) This would comply with the Maine Constitution.
(2) It would eliminate the need for high barriers to party access, since candidates are the ones who have ballot access.
(3) It could apply to presidential elections. Maine could be divided into 4 electoral districts, each choosing one elector. Candidates could indicate which presidential candidate they support, or even that they are a Hamiltonian.