The Alabama House of Representatives, controlled by Republicans, passed a bill on Thursday that bans the use of ranked-choice voting (RCV) in elections. Governor Kay Ivey has not made a decision on whether she will sign the bill into law.
The legislation, known as SB 186, specifies that RCV cannot be used to determine the election or nomination of any candidate for local, state, or federal office. The bill passed the House with a vote of 74-28 after clearing the Senate last month.
RCV is a voting system where voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives over 50% of first-choice votes in the first round, the last-place finisher is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed to the second-choice candidate. This process continues until one candidate receives a majority of votes.
If Governor Ivey signs SB 186 into law, it will take effect on October 1. Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen praised the legislature’s passage of the bill, stating that RCV violates the principle of ‘one-person, one-vote.’
According to Allen, elections conducted with RCV have had issues, such as discarded ballots and results that do not align with voter preferences. Several other states, including Florida, Idaho, Tennessee, Montana, South Dakota, Kentucky, and Oklahoma, have also banned RCV in their elections.
Shawn Fleetwood, a staff writer for Truth Voices, authored this article. His work has been featured in various publications, including RealClearPolitics and Conservative Review.
