Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §1, sub-§21-A is enacted to read:

21-A.__Instant runoff voting method.__"Instant runoff voting method" means a method of casting and tabulating votes that simulates the ballot counts that would occur if all voters participated in a series of runoff elections and that allows voters to rank candidates according to their preferences.

Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §1, sub-§27-A is enacted to read:

27-A.__Offices subject to the instant runoff voting method.__ "Offices subject to the instant runoff voting method" means the offices of President, Vice-President, United States Senator, United States Representative to Congress, Governor, state Senator and state Representative.

Sec. 3. 21-A MRSA §602, sub-§2, ¶I is enacted to read:

I.__For offices subject to the instant runoff voting method, the ballot must be simple and easy to understand and allow a voter to rank candidates for an office in order of choice.__ A voter may include no more than one write-in candidate among that voter's ranked choices for each office.__If feasible, ballots must be designed so that a voter may mark that voter's first choices in the same manner as that for offices not elected by the instant runoff voting method.

Instructions on the ballot must conform substantially to the following specifications, although subject to modification based on ballot design and voting machine:

"Vote for candidates by indicating your first-choice candidate and ranking additional candidates in order of preference.__Indicate your first choice by marking the number "1" beside a candidate's name, your 2nd choice by marking the number "2" beside a candidate's name, your 3rd choice by marking the number "3" beside a candidate's name and so on, for as many choices as you wish.__You may choose to rank only one candidate, but ranking additional candidates will not help defeat your first-choice candidate.__ Do not mark the same number beside more than one candidate.__ Do not skip numbers."

Sec. 4. 21-A MRSA §603, sub-§1, ¶C is enacted to read:

C.__A sample ballot for an office subject to the instant runoff voting method must illustrate the voting procedure for the instant runoff voting method.