Maine Primary Results Finally Certified After Shambolic Ranked-Choice Process

The Maine Wire ^ | June 19. 2026 | Maine Wire Staff

[Steven Scharf]

Maine Primary Results Finally Certified After Shambolic Ranked-Choice Process Maine Wire Staff June 19, 2026

Maine election officials on Friday released final results from several key primary contests more than a week after voters went to the polls, bringing an end to a prolonged counting process that drew increasing criticism of the state’s ranked-choice voting system and the administration of Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.

Among the most significant results, former federal prosecutor Bobby Charles secured the Republican nomination for governor, while Hannah Pingree, a former speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, won the Democratic gubernatorial primary.

In Maine’s 2nd Congressional District Democratic primary, former Secretary of State Matt Dunlap emerged as the winner.

Additional ranked-choice contests finalized this week included Chad Perkins’ victory in the Republican primary for Senate District 4 and Dexter Bridges’ win in the Republican primary for House District 58.

The results conclude an unusually lengthy tabulation process that stretched more than a week beyond Election Day and left candidates, political observers and voters waiting for final outcomes in races that ordinarily would have been settled much sooner. As the Maine Wire reported, there were issues with missing flash drives and scanner malfunctions among other mishaps.

Public updates from the Secretary of State’s office often cited spreadsheet preparation, verification procedures and ongoing tabulation work as reasons for the extended timeline.

[Steven Scharf]

Election resutls from Maine's Rank Choice debacle finally were released after 1 am this morning. They annouced a two hour warning at 9:15 pm that results would be annouced at 11:15 pm. But there were several delays, mainly casued by two old woman doing what should have been done by a young data manager. They were peering over two laptops with 13 inch screens when they should have plugged the monitor sitting on the next table into the laptop. They then could not figure out how to make the printer work. All stuff staff should have had ready to go hours before. They then posted 8 1/2 by 11 psges on a white board. No one thought it might make sense to use one of the fancy big screen TVs the state has sitting around so you could see the results.

The Maine Governors Race is going to be

Democrat Hannah Pingree (daughter of 1st distrct congress lady Chellie Pingree) Repbulican Robert Bobby Charles Unenrolled Richard Bennett

US Senate Democrat Graham Platner Republican Susan Collins

1st Distrct Congress Democrat Chellie Pingree Republican Ronald Russell

2nd Distrct Congress Democrat Matthew Dunlap Republican Paul LePage

I did a breakdown of the Republican results last night, then forgot to post here about the election.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aeb5vpP3rXAO0j-dMbFOuxpUTdSogMPt/view?usp=drive_link

Can someone post this here as a graphic.

[BenLurkin]

shambolic /shăm-bŏl′ĭk/
adjective
Disorderly or chaotic.
Chaotic, disorganised or mismanaged.

[TheThirdRuffian]

When faced with ranked choice voting, vote for person each time.

Or, if not an option leave the rest blank.

[Red Badger]

RCV should be outlawed in all elections for federal office.........................

[dayglored]

The image won't post by itself -- seems to be blocked for hot-linking.

Here's a clickable link to it:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aeb5vpP3rXAO0j-dMbFOuxpUTdSogMPt/view?usp=drive_link

[oldtech]

It would seem to me that the lengthy time for the tabulation process after the actual voting could have introduced some Democratic anomalies. Nothing unusual if it did.

[BenLurkin]

I had to look it up. It meant kinda what I thought it meant.

[Steven Scharf]

The Secy of State will post on their website a full list of ballots cast by town by round that one could used to recreate their process. The excel spreadsheets do not show voter id #.

[Steven Scharf]

Thank you. I just replaced the file with one with new labels showing Votes Transferred.

[Eleutheria5]

I am actually rooting for Susan Collins, a RINO’s RINO, just because her opponent is worse.

[fruser1]

The winning candidate is shambolicly beclowned.

[spintreebob]

Ranked choice was, in reality, what was used in the recent Los Angeles election. Bass had more than enough votes to place first. Bass votes were shifted from Bass to the DSA candidate as the intelligentsia knew that she was the 2d choice of a majority of voters.

We used to have ranked choice in IL up to the early 70s for State Representative. In D areas the Democrats would “deserve” 2 spots and the Republicans 1 slot. In the R areas the Republicans would own 2 slots and the Democrats one slot.

In the Democrat areas enough votes would be shifted from the Democrat candidates to the Republican candidate who would play ball with the Democrats...usually for appointment to cushy patronage jobs in the Democrat administration.

Back then they were not called RINOs. They were called WESTSIDE BLOC, but also whores, ho’s and similar.

[Steven Scharf]

I have posted a spreadsheet of all of the Statewide Ranked Choice Races.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BtK_ahddWVTVFD6TIj9-ublM3-NmEQ45/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=105006704961688151150&rtpof=true&sd=true

Can I get a better link to it.

[Steven Scharf]

I guess FR did it for me.

[pingman]

If the Supreme Court backs the definition of “voting day” being “one day” as they appear to be leaning, that should put a fork in RCV for federal elections.

[Steven Scharf]

It would have no effect. The point of RCV is only one day of voting, no second runoff race.

One day of voting is function of a cut off as to when ballots can be accepted, which Maine actually has. No ballots are accepted after 8:00 pm on election day (If you are inline at a poll, you can vote).

[DoodleBob]

The Maine Wire may be the BEST journalism outfit in America.

The series about the marijuana grows in rural areas had incredible detail, outstanding research, and named names.

[Steven Scharf]

I posted their article to give them the hits from here, which apparently was not much considering the number of comments on this thread.

[ViLaLuz]

there were issues with missing flash drives and scanner malfunctions among other mishaps.
............................

It’s time to go back to the old mechanical lever voting machines, or paper with no scanner. People fight it because they know it will stop most of the cheating.

[Steven Scharf]

All of Maine votes via a paper ballot that is scanned into a machine.

1/3rd of the towns in Maine still hand count paper ballots. Also 1/3rd of the towns in the state of Maine have less than 100 voters.

You could never do rank choice via just paper ballots.

Although this rank choice was messy, the SOS’s office did get us a complete set of results that will eventually be posted on their website.