Socialists seek official party status in Maine

[TexasTowelie]

5. I believe you are thinking of jungle primaries.

Last edited Fri Dec 21, 2018, 05:33 PM - Edit history (1)

All candidates, regardless of party, run in an initial primary, then the top two advance into a runoff if nobody receives a majority in the initial part. It is possible that two candidates from both parties will face each other in the runoffs. That is the system used in California.

When a ranked preference ballot is used if nobody wins a clear majority when they initially count the votes, then the person who is in last is eliminated. The votes for the eliminated candidate are reallocated to the next choice. This process repeats until one of the candidates has a majority. This method has some advantages such as eliminating the need to conduct runoffs which saves money for taxpayers and it also eliminates the need for candidates to continue raising funds for the runoff elections. While there might be some delay in recounting the ballots if they have to start eliminating candidates, it is still faster than having to call a runoff election.