On the final podcast of June, we look forward to America’s 250th birthday in anticipation of the Fourth of July.
Our main topic of conversation is once again Ranked Choice Voting this week, as a new Bangor Daily News analysis states that only 437 votes stood between Shenna Bellows, who was the fourth place finisher in the initial primary vote count, and the Democratic nomination. The crux of the case: if Bellows had gained just a few hundred additional votes in the second round of counting, she would have moved into third place rather than fourth, and it would have been Troy Jackson, not Bellows, that would’ve been eliminated in that round. From there, Bellows would’ve collected the bulk of Jackson’s votes, pushing here ahead of Pingree and ultimately into the lead.
We discuss this scenario, as well as the complications and questions posed by the idea of recounts in Ranked Choice Voting elections.
We also catch back up on the Platner vs. Collins Senate race, Platner calling Collins a corrupt criminal, and Collins’ outraged response.
Finally, we deal briefly with a decision by the Supreme Court this week regarding the Temporary Protected Status of Haitians, and the problem of valuing the outcomes from legal decisions rather than their fidelity to the Constitution and American law.
