Maine Senate race could require days for ranked-choice tabulation

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said it is "highly possible" that the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson will move to a ranked-choice tabulation, given the close polling and the presence of six declared write-in candidates. Bellows noted that if no candidate reaches a majority of first-choice votes, the last-place candidate will be eliminated and their votes redistributed until a candidate exceeds the 50% threshold. "It would be the first time in Maine that a U.S. Senate race has ever gone to ranked choice," she told USA TODAY, adding that a similar process in Congressional District Two has occurred multiple times.

The state uses ranked-choice voting for all federal races in the general election. With six write-in candidates on the ballot, votes for those candidates or blank first-choice selections could prevent either Collins or Jackson from achieving an outright majority. Bellows said the tabulation could take until the Friday after the election, November 13, although officials hope to speed up the count. She also indicated that municipalities have two days to report results, so it may not be clear on election night whether a runoff will be required.

Jackson, a logger and former Maine Senate president, is seeking to unseat Collins, who has served five terms and is the sole Republican senator from a state that voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris. Democrats view the seat as pivotal for their goal of flipping a Senate currently controlled by Republicans 53-47. Recent polls show the race as a dead heat.

Maine has previously seen ranked-choice runoffs in its 2nd Congressional District, most recently in 2024, when a race between Rep. Jared Golden and Republican Austin Theriault required a four-day tabulation after a significant number of write-in and blank votes. The final certification took longer due to a recount.