Seven members of the legislative committee that oversees voting rejected a bill Wednesday that seeks to repeal the state’s ranked-choice voting system.

Rep. Ed Polewarczyk (R-Wiscasset) said he sponsored the measure in response to complaints from constituents who said they don’t understand how it works.

But during a recent public hearing, the Secretary of State’s Office said most people appreciate the ranking system and that it has been relatively easy to implement.

The 7-1 vote by the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee means the bill will still go forward to the House of Representatives but is unlikely to pass with a strong committee recommendation against it.

In 2018, Maine was the first state in the country to begin using ranked-choice voting, which is used when there are three or more candidates on the ballot. Voters can rank their picks from favorite to least favorite, but they can also opt to vote for only their top choice.

If no candidate receives at least 50% of the vote on election night, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated from the contest and their second-place votes are redistributed to the remaining candidates.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said in a Wednesday statement that the committee’s vote means the issue is settled.

“We rank things every day to make our choices — what kind of cereal to buy at the grocery store, which movie to watch, or what hike to go on with our friends,” she said. “It’s common sense that we be able to do that with our votes as well.”