127th MAINE LEGISLATURE
		LD 1557		LR 2620(01)
	An Act To Establish Ranked-choice Voting
	Fiscal Note for Initiated Bill
	Committee: Not Referred
	Fiscal Note Required: Yes
Preliminary Fiscal Impact Statement
Current biennium cost increase - General Fund Current biennium cost increase - Highway Fund
Fiscal Detail and Notes
	This initiated bill implements ranked-choice voting for the offices of United States Senator, United States Representative to Congress, Governor and state legislative candidates for general elections and primaries held on or after January 1, 2018. The Department of Secretary of State will require a General Fund appropriation of $761,344 in fiscal year 2017-18 and $641,440 in fiscal year 2018-19 to print an additional ballot page, update the ballot tabulating machines, lease additional ballot tabulating machines, purchase additional memory devices, lease a high-speed vote tabulating unit and contract for 2 limited-period Special Deputy positions to oversee the central ranked-choice voting counting process. The Department of Public Safety will require a General Fund appropriation of $96,768 and a Highway Fund allocation of $52,096 in fiscal years 2017-18 and 2018-19 for overtime and fuel to retrieve, secure and return election ballots. As most of the expenditures are on-going rather than one-time start up, costs in subsequent years are anticipated to be in a similar range.
	As no funding is provided in the bill, additional legislation may be required to fully implement the provisions of the bill.