LEEDS, ME — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LEEDS, ME — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Republican front-runner for Governor Bobby Charles today blasted Augusta Democrats for rushing through legislation to expand ranked-choice voting to all statewide elections, including Governor, just months before voters head to the polls.
The bill, passed by the Democrat-controlled House and Senate, would overhaul Maine’s election system despite a prior unanimous Maine Supreme Court advisory opinion finding ranked-choice voting unconstitutional in certain statewide races.
“Changing the rules in the middle of an election cycle is not democracy, it’s desperation,” Charles said. “Augusta Democrats see their policies failing and now they want to rewrite the election rules in a way that benefits their side and protects their power.”
Charles pointed to the 2017 Maine Supreme Court advisory opinion finding ranked-choice voting conflicts with the Maine Constitution’s requirement that certain statewide races be decided by plurality.
“If you believe in the Constitution, you don’t ignore it when it becomes inconvenient,” Charles said. “You don’t jam through sweeping changes months before an election, especially when those changes could advantage one party over another.”
Charles also raised serious concerns about election administration under Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who would be responsible for implementing any expansion of ranked-choice voting in a gubernatorial race in which she herself is a candidate.
“That should concern every Maine voter,” Charles said. “The Secretary of State would oversee a new, more complicated voting system in a race she is running in herself. That’s a glaring conflict of interest.”
Charles further criticized Bellows’ record, citing her refusal to cooperate on voter roll transparency, her removal of President Trump from the ballot before being overturned, and unresolved questions surrounding ballots reportedly found in an Amazon return package.
“Maine voters deserve confidence in their elections,” Charles said. “Instead, they’ve seen partisan decisions and questionable judgment. Now Democrats want to hand Secretary Bellows an even more complex system to administer for Governor? That’s reckless.”
Charles reiterated his support for voter ID and stronger election safeguards.
“This is about trust,” he said. “Elections must be transparent, constitutional, and fair. You don’t change the system midstream because you’re afraid of losing.”
“As Governor, I will fight for election integrity, voter ID, and constitutional order. Maine elections belong to Maine voters, not political insiders in Augusta.”
