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Senate approves ban on ranked-choice voting for state elections; amendment to allow local use defeated
Summary
Senate File 459, which prohibits use of ranked-choice (instant-runoff) voting statewide, passed after debate and a failed amendment that would have allowed ranked-choice for local elections.
Senate File 459, a bill from the secretary of state’s office that bans ranked-choice (instant-runoff) voting, passed the Senate after floor debate that included an amendment to permit local jurisdictions to use ranked-choice voting.
Sponsor remarks described ranked-choice voting as a multi-round tabulation method that “continues until someone reaches a majority of votes” and explained the bill’s purpose to prohibit that process statewide. Senator Rosenboom of Marion, the floor sponsor, said she had not received constituent requests for ranked-choice voting and argued the state’s existing elections system “is respected around the country.”
Senator Trungaria (Dallas) offered an amendment to allow ranked-choice voting at the local level, arguing more than 50 localities nationally use it and that local voters favor the option. Opponents, including the secretary of state’s office as reported on the floor, said current tabulators could not process the ranked tabulation without separate software and that the method could confuse voters.
The amendment to allow local use was defeated on a roll call, 13 ayes to 34 nays. The underlying bill then passed; the clerk recorded 34 ayes and 13 nays, and the bill will be messaged to the House.
