That’s what election officials in Maine say a crucial congressional race in the state must go to counting of the ranked choices to determine a winner.

Maine Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, a moderate known for defying his party, led by a narrow margin Friday over Republican Austin Theriault in a race that was still too early to call days after voting ended. speak.
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said late Thursday that neither candidate received 50% of the vote, meaning ranked ballots should be counted. The Associated Press did not call the race.

Ranked-ranked voting typically comes into play in races with more than two candidates on the ballot. Golden and Theriault were the only candidates in the race for the 2nd Congressional District, but writing in candidates was an option, and some voters took advantage of it.

Theriault said Thursday he was asking for a recount of the election, although the results had not yet been tabulated at the time. A spokesperson for Golden’s campaign said the recount is fair, but the rankings are unnecessary.

“State Rep. Theriault has asserted his right to a hand recount and Congressman Golden agrees. So let’s just do it, rather than incur the delays and costs associated with a second round of elections,” the campaign said in a statement.

The Theriault campaign said Friday that it supported the rankings.

“There is a process underway and we look forward to seeing the process unfold according to the law,” campaign manager Shawn Roderick said.

In ranked-choice voting, the second choices of voters who chose a losing candidate are redistributed to the higher-ranking candidates.