North Dakota Republicans Are One Step Closer To Banning Ranked-Choice Voting In State Elections

North Dakota took a major step towards securing its elections on Wednesday after the state’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill banning ranked-choice voting (RCV). This is in accordance with the Republican National Committee. Disavowed RCV at its January meeting.

In a 74-19 vote, North Dakota’s lower chamber approved HB 1273Which Please specify RCV “may not be used in determining the election or nomination of any candidate to any local, state, or federal elective office.” According to a, no North Dakota jurisdiction uses ranked-choice voting in elections. Local state news outlet.

Under RCV, which critics call ” rigged-choice voting,” voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes in the first round of voting, the last-place finisher is eliminated, and his votes are reallocated to the voter’s second-choice candidate. This process continues until one candidate has received a majority vote.

HB 1273 bans RCV and prohibits localities using approval voting. This means that voters can choose as many candidates as they want in a race, and the winner is the one with the most votes. Fargo is the city. Only North Dakota has a municipality that uses this system.

“This bill was brought before [the House] to ensure that all citizens of North Dakota have their constitutional and civic rights protected by the state and not… be diluted… by the city or by the local ballot,” Ben Koppelman (rep. GOP) is the bill sponsor.

The bill now goes to the Senate of the stateIn this state, Republicans hold a majority of 43-4.

RCV advocates Claim This system would provide voters with the opportunity to vote “more options” On Election Day, RCV-based states have produced results that are clearly contrary to the voters’ wishes. In Alaska, a Republican state that is a reliable source of Republican support, Democrat Mary Peltola won last year. It is possible to win Alaska’s at-large congressional seat despite “nearly 60 percent of voters casting their ballots for a Republican.” That outcome was due to the state’s new RCV system.

RCV played an important role in helping Alaska GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski defeat a challenge by Kelly Tshibaka, former President Donald Trump’s backer, during the 2022 midterms. As The Federalist’s Tristan Justice previously reported, Murkowski’s allies were heavily involved in the push for Alaska to adopt RCV to bolster the incumbent senator’s reelection prospects. She won because of the system. Because it is second on Alaska Democrats’ ranked-choice ballots.

Maine is the only other state currently using RCV in its elections, alongside Alaska.

Shawn Fleetwood, a staff writer for The Federalist, is a graduate of The University of Mary Washington. He is also the Convention of States Action’s state content writer. His work was featured in many outlets such as RealClearPolitics. RealClearHealth. Conservative Review. Follow him @ShawnFleetwood