On Sunday evening, January 14th, Phish drummer Jon Fishman continued to extend his involvement in local Maine politics by participating in a Portland event aimed at gaining support for reinstating ranked choice voting in the state. The event, dubbed “Phishing For Signatures with Jon Fishman,” took place at Bayside Bowl and was aimed at rallying support and collecting the necessary signatures sway the highly contested issue.
As the Portland Press Herald explains, Under the ranked-choice voting system, voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no one had more than 50 percent of the vote after the first count, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. The process continues until one candidate achieves a clear majority and is declared the winner. Maine’s Constitution calls for candidates to be elected by a plurality, in which the candidate with the most votes wins, even if it is less than a majority.”
Fishman, who serves on the local Board of Selectman in Lincolnville, ME, successfully helped attract support for ranked choice voting in 2016, with Maine voters overwhelmingly electing to implement the system. However, in October 2017 the state Legislature voted to delay the law until December 2021 and, potentially, kill the issue altogether.
Explains the Press Herald, “Those actions by legislators led to a creation of a citizen petition drive, which if successful will get a people’s veto to restore ranked-choice voting on the June ballot. The Committee for Ranked Choice Voting has until Feb. 2 to submit signatures to the Maine Secretary of State’s Office. The campaign must collect at least 61,123 signatures from registered voters.”
[Photo: Brennan Smith]
At the event, Fishman hung around with fans, spoke to the gathered crowd about ranked choice voting, and even jumped onstage with local soul-jam group and Bayside Bowl house band Hambone for a performance. You can watch other assorted videos from the performance via Instagram below:
Jon Fishman has never been shy about voicing his opinions and pounding the pavement to promote causes he feels are worthy. Throughout the 2016 Presidential primaries, Fishman was extremely vocal in his support for Democratic party hopeful Bernie Sanders, traveling around the country speaking at rallies and performing at political benefits, including Live For Live Music‘s “Get Out And Vote For Bernie” fundraiser show featuring Kung Fu, Oteil Burbridge, and more. He even commissioned a custom-made, Bernie Sanders-inspired version of his ubiquitous red and blue dress which he wore throughout Phish’s 2016 summer tour. He has since been more involved in local affairs, focusing on making his Lincolnville, ME hometown the best possible home for his family.
Jon Fishman will hit the road this spring with Portland, Maine rockers The Mallett Brothers Band for a nine-date east coast tour.
[h/t – Melanie Allen/Ryan Benoit; Portland Press Herald]