{"id":2151220,"date":"2024-01-17T04:12:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T09:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-republicans-introduce-bill-to-stop-ranked-choice-voting-from-disenfranchising-voters\/"},"modified":"2024-01-17T04:18:32","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T09:18:32","slug":"georgia-republicans-introduce-bill-to-stop-ranked-choice-voting-from-disenfranchising-voters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-republicans-introduce-bill-to-stop-ranked-choice-voting-from-disenfranchising-voters\/","title":{"rendered":"Georgia GOP Introduces Bill to Prevent Voter Disenfranchisement via Ranked-Choice Voting"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgeorgia-republicans-introduce-bill-to-stop-ranked-choice-voting-from-disenfranchising-voters%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2151220&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2>Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and state Senate Republicans Introduce Measure to Prohibit Ranked-Choice Voting<\/h2>\n<p>Georgia Lt.\u200b Gov. Burt Jones and state Senate Republicans \u2064introduced \u200ca measure on\u200d Tuesday\u2064 to prohibit the \u2063use of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/andrew-yang-has-commanding-lead-in-nyc-mayoral-race-poll-shows\/\" title=\"Andrew Yang Has Commanding Lead In NYC Mayoral Race, Poll Shows\">ranked-choice voting<\/a> (RCV) in elections.<\/p>\n<p>Under RCV, often dubbed &#8220;rigged-choice voting&#8221; by its critics, voters rank\u200c candidates\u200d in order of preference. If no candidate receives more than 50\u2063 percent\u200d of first-choice \u200cvotes in the first round of\u200d voting, the \u2062last-place finisher\u200b is \u2063eliminated, and his votes are reallocated to the voter&#8217;s second-choice candidate. This \u200cprocess continues until \u200cone\u2064 candidate receives a majority\u2062 of votes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1805507847\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-7f2f1e7f0b4ad67d06599ea3044f7084 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-7f2f1e7f0b4ad67d06599ea3044f7084\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.legis.ga.gov\/legislation\/66092\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SB 355<\/a> stipulates that RCV &#8220;shall not be used in determining\u200c the election or\u200c nomination \u200dof any candidate to \u200bany local, state, or federal elective office.&#8221;\u200d This\u200c law would not, however, apply to &#8220;electors who are entitled to vote absentee ballot\u200b under\u200d the federal\u2062 Uniformed and Overseas Citizens\u200c Absentee \u200bVoting\u200d Act,&#8221; which was <a href=\"https:\/\/atlantaciviccircle.org\/2022\/01\/12\/unrigging-democracy-georgias-foray-into-ranked-choice-voting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">amended<\/a> \u200din 2021 to allow for overseas \u200dvoters to use an RCV, or &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Ranked-choice_voting_(RCV)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">instant runoff<\/a>,&#8221; \u200bballot \u2064for statewide \u2063and presidential races.<\/p>\n<p>As \u200dthe <a href=\"https:\/\/atlantaciviccircle.org\/2022\/01\/12\/unrigging-democracy-georgias-foray-into-ranked-choice-voting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Atlanta Civic Circle<\/a> reported, Georgia Secretary of State Brad \u2064Raffensperger&#8217;s\u2062 office said the system was adopted for UOCAVA \u2064&#8221;as a way to avoid problems with overseas mailing, which can be unreliable \u2062in \u2062getting ballots in \u200ctime\u2064 for elections.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Ranked-choice voting is \u2064designed to cause confusion and fatigue among\u2063 voters,&#8221; \u200cJones said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/ltgov.georgia.gov\/press-releases\/2024-01-16\/lt-governor-burt-jones-announces-legislation-banning-ranked-choice-voting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a>. &#8220;This type of voting system, pushed by dark money\u2062 groups, could cause \u200ba drastic increase in the\u2064 number of\u2064 ballots being\u2064 thrown\u2062 out, disenfranchising Georgia\u200c voters. Georgians deserve to have the\u2064 utmost\u200c faith in their elections,\u2064 and \u2063those pushing Ranked-choice voting are only hindering that faith.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Republican Sen. Randy Robertson was also a primary \u200bsponsor of the bill, according\u2062 to a <a href=\"https:\/\/ltgov.georgia.gov\/press-releases\/2024-01-16\/lt-governor-burt-jones-announces-legislation-banning-ranked-choice-voting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">press\u2062 release<\/a> issued by Jones&#8217; office.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-551f73b8f28184010e6fb6a9af540c19 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-551f73b8f28184010e6fb6a9af540c19\"><\/div>\n<p>Contrary to the\u200c claims of RCV supporters, jurisdictions that have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/yes-mitch-mcconnell-would-rather-lose-the-senate-than-his-leadership-status\/\" title=\"Yes, Mitch McConnell Would Rather Lose The Senate Than His Leadership Status\">adopted ranked-choice voting<\/a> have <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/11\/20\/ranked-choice-voting-advocates-are-forced-to-lie-about-fairness-to-get-voters-on-board\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">experienced<\/a> confusing and even inaccurate election outcomes. \u200dIn a \u20622022 Oakland school board race, for\u200d instance, &#8220;election officials announced \u2014 two months after the \u2064fact \u2014 that they got the count wrong,&#8221; resulting \u2064in\u2063 the &#8220;rightful winner &#8230; suing for his seat.&#8221; Meanwhile, a Utah town that used an RCV pilot program for its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ranked-choice-voting-advocates-are-forced-to-lie-about-fairness-to-get-voters-on-board\/\" title=\"Ranked-choice voting advocates must deceive voters about the concept of \"fairness\" to gain their support.\">2021 municipal \u200delections experienced high rates<\/a> \u200bof\u2064 ballots being discarded\u2063 or spoiled.<\/p>\n<p>In the\u200b Genola\u2063 City\u200d Council Race 1, for <a href=\"https:\/\/electiontransparency.org\/2023\/03\/03\/cuccinelli-defeat-utahs-ranked-choice-voting-scheme\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">example<\/a>, &#8220;58% of \u2062ballots were either discarded out\u200b of hand or otherwise\u200c spoiled,&#8221; while the Genola\u2064 City Council Race 2 \u2063&#8221;had\u2062 a discarded or spoiled\u2064 rate of \u2062over 74%.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Alaska and Maine \u2014 both of which have adopted RCV\u200b \u2014 have had their fair share\u200c of problems, such as election outcomes that contradict the will of voters.\u2064 In 2022, for example,\u2063 Democrat\u2063 Mary Peltola <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/01\/11\/ranked-choice-voting-keeps-rigging-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">won<\/a> Alaska&#8217;s at-large congressional seat even though &#8220;nearly 60 percent of voters\u2062 [cast] their ballots for a Republican.&#8221; RCV also played\u200c a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/02\/14\/after-ranked-choice-voting-rigged-their-elections-alaska-conservatives-fight-to-reclaim-democracy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">major role<\/a> in\u200d helping\u2064 Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski \u200dwin reelection during the 2022 midterms. A similar\u200c scenario\u2062 also \u200cplayed out in a 2018\u200b Maine congressional race, in which \u2064then-incumbent GOP Rep. Bruce Poliquin <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/maine-congressman-loses-seat-in-controversial-ranked-choice-voting-race\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lost<\/a> to Democrat Jared Golden despite Poliquin winning the most\u2063 votes in the\u2063 first\u200d round of voting.<\/p>\n<p>An <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/10\/31\/ranked-choice-voting-is-the-monster-under-the-bed-of-american-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">October report<\/a> published by the Foundation for Government \u200bAccountability found that ranked-choice voting is largely being pushed\u2064 by Democrats, with 57 of the 74 pro-RCV \u200cbills introduced in 2023 state\u2064 legislative sessions having &#8220;only Democrat sponsors.&#8221; According to the report, the uptick \u2062in Democrat-backed, pro-RCV bills \u200bcan partially be\u200b attributed to leftist legislators\u2064 seeing\u2063 that &#8220;the system allow[ed] less \u200dpopular\u2063 Democrats [to] beat more popular Republicans in\u200d federal races in both Maine and Alaska.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a2d6a3c97e246519c060404d8c8f7c1a fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a2d6a3c97e246519c060404d8c8f7c1a\"><\/div>\n<p>RCV\u2064 proponents have \u2062gone\u200d out of their \u2062way to survey which talking points \u2064are \u200bmost effective in deceiving\u2064 voters into adopting the\u2064 voting system. A <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/11\/20\/ranked-choice-voting-advocates-are-forced-to-lie-about-fairness-to-get-voters-on-board\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">polling memo<\/a> previously obtained by The Federalist showed \u200cthat misleading\u200d arguments pitching RCV\u2063 as based on &#8220;the idea \u200cof fairness&#8221;\u2064 appear to resonate with the electorate. Such deceptive messaging was <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/12\/12\/ranked-choice-voting-proponents-are-lying-to-wisconsin-voters-to-hide-the-systems-flaws\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recently\u200c used<\/a> by \u2064RCV advocates\u200c ahead of\u2063 a Wisconsin\u200d Senate hearing on a bill that seeks to \u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/11\/21\/election-integrity-groups-pressure-wisconsin-republicans-to-squash-devastating-ranked-choice-voting-bills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">force<\/a> the state to\u200c adopt the\u2062 practice for congressional primary and \u2062general elections.<\/p>\n<p>If \u200dpassed by the\u2062 state legislature and signed into \u2063law by Gov. Brian Kemp, SB 355 would make Georgia the\u2062 sixth state to\u2064 ban\u200d the use of RCV\u2063 in elections. Among those \u200bto <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Ranked-choice_voting_(RCV)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prohibit<\/a> the \u2064practice are Florida, Tennessee, Montana, South Dakota, and Idaho.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-7be237c45359b9954fc1e807c76cec05 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-7be237c45359b9954fc1e807c76cec05\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What are some of the pitfalls and \u2062drawbacks of ranked-choice voting that critics have pointed out, such as the example of the\u2064 Oakland school board race?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Buted to the fact that Democrats have been more successful\u2062 in close elections under \u2064the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/glenn-youngkin-wins-gop-nomination-for-governor-of-virginia\/\" title=\"Glenn Youngkin Wins GOP Nomination For Governor Of Virginia\">ranked-choice voting system<\/a>. This has led to concerns that RCV \u2064is being used \u200bas a tool to manipulate\u200b election outcomes and gain an advantage for certain \u2062parties.<\/p>\n<p>Critics of\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ranked-choice-voting-props-up-unlikeable-karens-like-maines-secretary-of-state\/\" title=\"Ranked-choice voting supports candidates who may not be widely liked, such as Maine's Secretary of State\">ranked-choice voting argue<\/a> that the system is\u2064 confusing and\u200b can lead to inaccurate results. The example of \u200dthe Oakland\u2063 school board race, where officials announced a incorrect vote count two \u2064months after the fact, highlights \u200dsome of the pitfalls of RCV. Additionally, the \u2064Utah town that\u200b used RCV in its municipal elections experienced a high rate of discarded or spoiled ballots, further raising doubts about the reliability and effectiveness of the system.<\/p>\n<p>The experiences\u200b of Alaska and Maine, two\u200d states that have embraced ranked-choice voting, have also been marred \u200cby \u2063controversial election outcomes. In Alaska, Democrat Mary \u200cPeltola won a congressional seat despite the majority of voters casting their ballots for a Republican. Similarly, in a Maine congressional race, the \u200bincumbent\u2062 GOP representative lost to\u2062 a Democrat \u2063despite having won the most votes\u200b in the first \u200bround of voting.\u200c These examples raise questions about the legitimacy and fairness of elections conducted under the\u200b ranked-choice voting system.<\/p>\n<p>An October report by the Foundation for Government Accountability revealed that ranked-choice voting is predominantly supported by Democrats. Of the 74 \u200cpro-RCV bills introduced in state legislative sessions in 2023, 57 of them were sponsored solely\u2064 by\u200d Democrats. This partisan divide adds to concerns that RCV is being advocated for political gain rather than a genuine improvement to the electoral\u2062 process.<\/p>\n<p>In light of these\u200c concerns, Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones and state Senate Republicans have introduced SB 355, a\u2062 measure to prohibit the use of ranked-choice voting in elections. Lt. \u2063Gov. Jones argues that ranked-choice voting is designed to cause confusion and fatigue among voters \u200dand that adopting this system would \u200donly\u200b hinder the faith that Georgia voters have in their elections. The bill aims to ensure the integrity and \u200bsimplicity of the electoral process \u2062by eliminating the potential drawbacks associated with ranked-choice voting.<\/p>\n<p>If passed, SB 355 would prevent the use of ranked-choice voting in\u2064 any local, state, or federal elections in Georgia, with the exception of electors who are entitled to vote absentee under the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens \u2062Absentee Voting Act. This exemption acknowledges the unique circumstances of overseas voters and provides them with\u200b the option to\u200d use ranked-choice voting.<\/p>\n<p>The introduction of this bill reflects a \u200bgrowing skepticism towards \u200dranked-choice voting and a desire to preserve the integrity of the electoral\u200d system. As debates over the efficacy and fairness of RCV continue, it is crucial to carefully evaluate the potential benefits and drawbacks of this voting method. Ultimately, the goal should be to ensure that elections are conducted in a transparent and\u2062 accurate manner that instills confidence in the democratic process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and state Senate Republicans aim to ban ranked-choice voting (RCV). Critics call it &#8220;rigged-choice voting.&#8221; RCV allows voters to rank candidates by preference. If no candidate secures over 50% of first-choice votes initially, subsequent rounds are held until a winner emerges<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2151221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2151220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2151220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2151220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2151220\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2151221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2151220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2151220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2151220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}