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Ranked choice runoff gets underway to determine official winner in Maine 2nd District race

Ranked choice runoff gets underway to determine official winner in Maine 2nd District race

Left: Matt Dunlap (Photo: Associated Press) Right: Paul LePage (Photo: Paul LePage on Facebook)


The ranked choice tabulation process began Monday for Maine’s second congressional district.

Neither Matt Dunlap nor Paul LePage received more than 50 percent of the vote, so a recount must be held, including voters’ ranked choices.

The candidate who receives the most votes at the end of this round will win the race.

Dunlap has already conceded to LePage, and LePage has already declared victory.

The state must still go through the process to determine the official winner.

The contest will be one of only three U.S. House races in last week’s midterm election to flip from Democrat to Republican control if expected results are confirmed.

The Maine result is also noteworthy because it’s the only seat to flip to Republicans that was not redrawn by Republican controlled states to favor their own candidates.

Meawnhile, Maine led the country in voter turnout last week.

University of Florida Election Lab estimates show almost 66 percent of eligible voters in Maine cast a ballot, edging out totals in Minnesota.

The numbers are considered preliminary until states certify the election results.

The estimates show nearly 49 percent of voters nationwide took part in the election, making last Tuesday the second-highest midterm rate in more than a century, just behind 2018.

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