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Heated hearings on SB 63: elections officials warn of technical barriers; advocates say ban would block local home rule
Summary
The committee heard sharply divided testimony on Senate Bill 63, which would bar ranked choice voting (RCV). County election officials said current certified systems and laws complicate immediate implementation; proponents of RCV urged home‑rule experimentation and cited Maine and Alaska experience.
A broad and contentious hearing on Senate Bill 63 — legislation that would ban ranked choice voting (RCV) in Ohio — produced sharply divided testimony on March 18 as election administrators warned of technical and legal hurdles while advocates and local officials urged cities and counties be allowed to experiment.
Anthony Perlotti, director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, told the committee that “to the best of my knowledge, none of the 5 voting systems currently certified in Ohio are able to execute a ranked choice voting election,” and described complications in ballot creation, tabulation and certification for contests that mix ranked and non-ranked contests. He told senators the county could face multi-page ballots, more adjudication work and longer…
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