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Baker And Polito Announce Opposition To 'Ranked Choice' Ballot Question 2

BOSTON (CBS) – Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito announced on Tuesday they will vote "no" on Question 2 in the upcoming election. The ballot question would change the state's election to the "ranked choice" system.

"At a time when we need to be promoting turnout and making it easier for voters to cast their ballots, we worry that question two will add an additional layer of complication for both voters and election officials, while potentially delaying results and increasing the cost of elections," Baker and Polito said in a statement. "We believe the system we have now has served the Commonwealth well, and intend to vote 'no' on question two."

Read: Massachusetts Ballot Question 2 – Should There Be Ranked Choice Voting?

With ranked choice voting, residents get a ballot with all the candidates listed, and you rank them — top choice, second choice, and so on.

When the votes are counted, if no one gets a majority, the candidate in last place is out, and those voters' second choices are then distributed to the remaining candidates. That process repeats until someone gets to 50 percent of the votes.

Eighteen municipalities across the country currently use ranked choice, and Maine now uses it statewide.

Supporters argue ranked choice makes politics less partisan and it cuts down on spoiler candidates — ones who peel off enough votes to change the winner. Opponents argue it could actually lead to lower turnout by confusing voters.

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