Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap has reaffirmed his decision that opponents of ranked-choice voting failed to submit enough valid signatures for another referendum.
The “amended determination” will now be considered by a Cumberland County Superior Court judge in a lawsuit.
The Republican Party is backing the referendum question aimed at nullifying a law passed by the Legislature in 2019 that extends the ranked-choice system to presidential primaries and presidential elections in Maine.
Dunlap previously ruled that the effort failed to reach 63,067 valid signatures needed to gain a spot on the statewide ballot. On Wednesday, Dunlap came to the same conclusion after another review of petitions.
Demi Kouzounas, chair of the Maine Republican Party, accused Dunlap of rejecting valid signatures. “Let me be clear, we will not quit until we see the legitimate signatures of registered voters counted and the People’s Veto on the ballot,” she said.
