AUGUSTA, Maine - Election workers are still tallying ballots in the first congressional race in American history to be decided by a voting method that allows second choices.Maine's the first state in the country to use ranked-choice voting to determine a seat in the U.S. House, and the tallying started Friday in Augusta.
The state will continue scanning ballots Wednesday. Election workers still must scan in seven more counties and then certify all the election results.
The race between Republican Rep. Bruce Poliquin and Democratic state Rep. Jared Golden is close, with Poliquin holding an edge of about 1,900 votes according to an unofficial tally by The Associated Press. That means it's unlikely either candidate will clear the 50 percent hurdle needed to win the seat without counting the ranked ballots.
Meanwhile, Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap says the Maine GOP is trying to fuel distrust in elections as ranked-choice voting gets underway.
Poliquin and Maine's GOP have photos showing ballot boxes with missing padlocks. Dunlap, a Democrat, acknowledged Monday some boxes were unlocked but said metallic seals protected all boxes.
Dunlap said he hasn't received any official complaints and called such claims a "distraction.''
Poliquin's attorney declined comment. Poliquin's campaign contends he won because he collected the most first-round votes Election Day.
But neither he nor Democrat Jared Golden obtained a majority in the four-way race. That triggers additional voting rounds under the ranked-choice system being used for the first time in Maine federal races.