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Maine's Supreme Court clears the way for ranked-choice voting

(CNN) Maine's Supreme Court has sided with the state's Democratic secretary of state and rejected a Republican challenge to ranked-choice voting in the upcoming election.

Your big questions about voting and the 2020 election, answered

The ruling means Maine residents will use the voting method in the November election between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden, barring further appeals.

Ranked-choice voting allows voters to rank all the candidates by preference and for a voter's next choice to be considered if their first candidate doesn't have enough votes to be viable.

The five-judge panel ruled Tuesday that the secretary of state had acted correctly in rejecting a ballot referendum on the future of ranked-choice voting -- which would've meant Maine couldn't use the method during this year's election.

The decision is the latest twist in a long legal battle over ranked-choice voting in Maine.

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