What happens next in Maine’s 2nd District race: ranked-choice and recount rules, explained
The race for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District between State Auditor Matt Dunlap and former Gov. Paul LePage had not been called as of Wednesday afternoon. LePage declared victory, and Dunlap has not conceded, WMTW reported. Read Lincoln Town Square’s earlier story.
Here is how a ranked-choice count and a recount would work under Maine law, and what it means for voters in the Lincoln area.
Where does the count stand?
These numbers are unofficial, and counting is not finished. Vote counts differ slightly between news outlets as results are updated.
- WABI-TV: Dunlap 154,415, LePage 155,335 and Ward 162, with an estimated 89.7% of votes in when Lincoln Town Square checked at 3:12 p.m. Wednesday.
- The Associated Press: LePage had “a slight lead of 702 votes” over Dunlap with 88% of votes counted as of 2:45 p.m., WMTW reported.
- The Bangor Daily News and Decision Desk HQ: Dunlap had 48.8% and LePage had 49.9%, with an estimated 93% of votes tallied at 2:30 p.m., the Bangor Daily News reported. The BDN and Decision Desk HQ have not called the race.
Why could there be a ranked-choice runoff?
Ranked-choice voting applies to U.S. House general elections with more than two candidates, according to the Maine Secretary of State. This race qualifies because Gregory A. Ward of Limestone is a declared write-in candidate.
Under state law, a candidate wins outright only if ranked first on more than 50% of all ballots cast for the office. That includes ballots where the first choice was left blank and ballots with an overvote, which means the voter marked more than one candidate as the same choice. Votes for Ward count toward that total. Write-in votes for anyone who is not a declared write-in candidate are recorded as blanks, and blanks are included in the total, according to the Secretary of State.
If no candidate passes that mark when all ballots are counted, the count moves to ranked-choice rounds. In each round, every ballot counts for the highest-ranked candidate still in the race. When two or fewer candidates are left, the one with the most votes wins. Ballots that can no longer count for any remaining candidate, called exhausted ballots, are set aside, the law says.
Town clerks have two days after Election Day to send unofficial results to the Secretary of State, who then decides whether a ranked-choice count is needed, according to the Secretary of State’s office. As of 2:12 p.m. Wednesday, the office had not said whether a runoff would be needed, the Maine Morning Star reported. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said last month she thought a runoff in the district was likely, the Morning Star reported. Based on how long past counts have taken, Bellows said a runoff could go until Friday of next week, the Morning Star reported.
How would the count work?
The Secretary of State’s office runs the count in Augusta. If a ranked-choice count is needed, the ballots and memory devices from each town are taken to a central counting site there, according to the office.
In past counts, the ballots and memory devices were collected from each town and brought to Augusta. Towns that count with machines send sealed memory devices, and towns that count by hand send the ballots themselves in locked, sealed ballot boxes, according to the office. In 2024, law enforcement officers from the Secretary of State’s office and Maine State Police collected the materials, the office said. Staff then run the ballots through a high-speed machine, upload the memory devices and enter by hand any ballots the machine cannot read, the office says.
The count is a public proceeding open to observers, and the office announces when it will run the final tabulation two hours ahead of time so the press and public can attend, according to the Secretary of State. In 2024, the office also livestreamed the 2nd District count on its YouTube page. Lincoln Town Square found no announcement from the office about a count this year as of 3:12 p.m. Wednesday.
A statewide ranked-choice count can take about one and a half to two weeks. The office shares unofficial results for each round as the count goes on, and official results are certified within 20 days after the election, the office says.
What about a recount?
Under state law, a candidate other than the apparent winner may ask the Secretary of State in writing for a recount within five business days after the election. In a ranked-choice race, only a candidate who was in the top three at the end of the next-to-last round may ask for one.
No deposit is required if the difference between the leading candidate and the candidate requesting the recount is 1% or less of the total votes cast, or not more than 1,000 votes, whichever is less. Otherwise, the deposit is $5,000 or 10% of the estimated cost of the first stage of the recount, whichever is greater.
State Police or other sworn officers take control of the ballots. The candidates’ representatives or lawyers count them under the Secretary of State’s supervision, and the candidates themselves may not count. If enough disputed ballots remain to affect the result of a U.S. House race, the Secretary of State must notify the appropriate officials under the U.S. House’s own rules, the law says.
What does it mean for Lincoln-area voters?
These are unofficial results for the 2nd District race, reported to Lincoln Town Square by each town clerk.
| Town | Dunlap | LePage |
|---|---|---|
| Burlington (incl. T3 ND) | 67 | 156 |
| Edinburg (incl. Argyle Twp.) | 38 | 56 |
| Enfield | 256 | 485 |
| Howland | 183 | 350 |
| Lagrange | 76 | 182 |
| Lincoln | 804 | 1,511 |
| Lowell | 76 | 175 |
| Passadumkeag | 55 | 130 |
| Seboeis Plt. | 12 | 12 |
| Winn | 61 | 119 |
All towns in our coverage area have now reported to Lincoln Town Square. See unofficial town-by-town results for the Lincoln area.
If a ranked-choice count is needed, ballots and memory devices from Lincoln-area towns would go to Augusta along with those from every other town in the race, according to the Secretary of State.
This story will be updated as more results become available.
Sources
- Current counts: WABI-TV election results page, checked 3:12 p.m. Nov. 4, 2026; WMTW, updated 2:49 p.m. Nov. 4, 2026 (AP count); Bangor Daily News, Nov. 4, 2026 (BDN and Decision Desk HQ count at 2:30 p.m.).
- Race status and candidate statements: WMTW, updated 2:49 p.m. Nov. 4, 2026; Bangor Daily News, Nov. 4, 2026; Maine Morning Star, posted 2:12 p.m. Nov. 4, 2026.
- Ranked-choice voting: Maine Revised Statutes, Title 21-A, Section 723-A; Maine Secretary of State, ranked-choice voting FAQ; Maine Secretary of State, “How does the RCV tabulation process work?” (2020); Maine Secretary of State news release, Nov. 7, 2024.
- Bellows comment: Maine Morning Star, Nov. 4, 2026.
- Recounts: Maine Revised Statutes, Title 21-A, Section 737-A.
- Declared write-in candidate: Maine Secretary of State, declared write-in list, updated Oct. 15, 2026.
- Lincoln-area towns: unofficial results emailed to Lincoln Town Square by the town clerks of Burlington, Edinburg, Enfield, Howland, Lagrange, Lincoln, Lowell, Passadumkeag, Seboeis Plantation and Winn, Nov. 3 and 4, 2026.