AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- RANKED CHOICE VOTING

This bill allows local municipalities in the state to adopt ranked choice voting for their elections once voters approve a charter amendment. Under this system, voters rank candidates in order of preference on their ballots, and votes are counted in rounds where eliminated candidates' votes transfer to voters' next choices. The bill defines specific rules for how ballots are counted in both single-winner and multi-winner elections, including how to handle surplus votes and invalid ballots. It applies only to local elections within jurisdictions that have officially adopted the method through voter approval, and it would eliminate separate primary elections in those areas.