Maine begins ranked choice voting in governor’s race

(The Center Square) — Maine election officials began recounting tens of thousands of ballots Friday cast in the governor’s race as the multi-day process of picking Democratic and Republican nominees by ranked choice voting got underway.

The ranked choice process is being held at the Maine Department of Public Safety Headquarters building in Augusta, and officials have set up a live stream for the public to watch the counters. The Secretary of State’s office said it expects the tabulation process to be completed by next week.

In Tuesday’s Democratic primary, Nirav Shah, a physician and former U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official, was ahead with 26.7% as of Tuesday night when the Associated Press determined that the race would go to a run-off.

Hannah Pingree, a former speaker of the state House of Representatives, had 23.2%; former Senate President Troy Jackson had 23 % of the vote; Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and Angus King III, son of the state’s independent U.S. senator, were also on Tuesd...