Platner supporters launch write-in campaign in Maine Senate race

Supporters of former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner are organizing a write-in campaign for him in the November general election, a move that comes over a month after he suspended his candidacy amid sexual assault allegations. The effort, detailed in a private Facebook group and local opinion columns, aims to use Maine's ranked-choice voting system to potentially benefit the current Democratic nominee, Troy Jackson, in his challenge against incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins.

The strategy, as outlined by organizer Scott Talkoot and writer Scott Niemi, urges voters to write in Platner as their first choice and rank Jackson second. The goal is to consolidate the anti-establishment vote. Under ranked-choice voting, if Platner does not receive enough first-choice votes to advance, those ballots would transfer to Jackson in subsequent tabulation rounds, provided he is ranked second. "This is a mathematically solid plan to defeat Collins come election time," Niemi wrote in a Bangor Daily News op-ed.

A critical question remains whether Platner will register as an official write-in candidate. A deadline to do so with the Maine Secretary of State passed on August 25....