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Muszynski said election officials will keep an eye on the early tallies reported by election districts, some of which use electronic tabulation machines while others use hand counting, and will decide whether to go into the elimination rounds.

In that scenario, the ballots and tabulating memory devices will be transported to a secure site in Augusta and fed into a computer system that will conduct the elimination rounds until they reach a majority.

\"That process usually takes us about a week to a week-and-a-half,\" Muszynski told ABC News.

\"PHOTO:
Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
PHOTO: A poll workers sits in front of a voting booth with sides blocked off with caution tape to ensure social distancing at the Italian Heritage Center on July 14, 2020, in Portland, Maine.
>

The spokeswoman said most voters are prepared for the potential wait for official results.

\"We have quite a bit of experience doing ranked-choice,\" she said. \"Maine voters are very experienced about going about it.\"

The future of ranked-choice voting

Outside of Maine, ranked-choice voting will have a presence in two state ballots on Election Day: Alaska and Massachusetts.

A ballot measure in Alaska would change that state's federal and state elections to ranked-choice while Massachusetts's measure would put the voting system for state races.

\"PHOTO:
Becky Bohrer/AP
PHOTO: Poll worker Dian Martin minds an early voting site in a state office building in Juneau, Ala., Aug. 11, 2020.
>

Hughes said both states have seen several primaries and main elections where multiple candidates have split the vote and resulted in victors with slim majorities.

\"It will be interested to see how these campaigns play out,\" he said.

Hughes and other experts predict there will be more campaigns by electorates to consider switching to a ranked choice system, especially as more places adopt them.

\"PHOTO:
Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images
PHOTO: People wait in line to hand in their ballots to election officials after voting at a YMCA in Chinatown during the Massachusetts State Primary on Sept. 1, 2020, in Boston.
>

Next year, New York City, which has over 6.5 million people over 18, will become the largest electoral jurisdiction to use ranked-choice voting for its local primaries and elections.

Kimball said voters who are confused or have questions about ranked choice will have a clearer idea of the method and decide if the method is right for them.

\"I think there is a general appetite for reform broadly speaking,\" he said. \"I don't think ranked-choice voting is the only solution…but it seems to have a couple of features that appeal to some people. I think the evidence that encourages people to be more collaborative, that appeals to some folks.\"

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