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PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Latest on litigation over Maine's new ranked voting system (all times local):
2:45 p.m.
Democratic Rep.-elect Jared Golden's campaign says he's ready to start work despite an ongoing legal fight waged by his Republican opponent over Maine's new election system.
A federal judge last week rejected U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin's request to nullify the election's outcome and either declare him the winner or order another election. Poliquin lost his re-election bid to Golden and filed an appeal Tuesday in federal court in Boston.
Poliquin claimed Maine's ranked voting system violated the constitutional rights of all voters. The judge said Poliquin hasn't demonstrated how ranked-choice voting is unconstitutional.
Golden's chief of staff said the judge's decision was "crystal clear" and called it the "best response" to Poliquin's appeal.
Golden is set to be sworn-in Jan. 3. Poliquin says he wants a court to address his appeal swiftly.
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11:30 a.m.
The last New England Republican congressman is continuing his push to have courts declare unconstitutional Maine's new election system, which was used for the first time in a congressional race.
A federal judge last week rejected U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin's request to nullify the election's outcome and either declare him the winner or order another election. Poliquin filed an appeal Tuesday in federal court.
Poliquin said ranked choice voting "violated all voters" constitutional rights.
Poliquin lost his re-election bid to Democrat Jared Golden. Voters rank candidates on the ballot under ranked-choice voting.
Poliquin claims he should be the winner because he had the most first-place votes on Election Day. But Golden won the race in an extra round of voting in which two trailing independents were eliminated and their votes were reallocated.
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