ranked choice voting

City officials admitted they failed to remove 135,000 test ballots from the election management system before starting to count the real votes from Election Day and early voting, skewing the results.

The method, in which voters are asked to rank candidates, has gained traction as a way to more accurately reflect the will of the majority. But detractors warn there are potential downsides, too.

Democrats have now gained 35 seats and could get up to 39 as counting continues in close races around the country. There will be no Republicans from New England in the U.S. House next year.

Rep. Bruce Poliquin's lawsuit claims the state's ranked-choice voting law violates the U.S. Constitution because the candidate who gets the most votes may not ultimately be declared the winner.

In asking voters to rank candidates in order of preference, Maine becomes the first U.S. state to adopt a system also used in Australia, Ireland, several other countries, and a handful of U.S. cities.