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Committee hears competing views after Fargo’s approval-voting charter triggers state ban proposal
Summary
House Bill 1297, which would prohibit ranked-choice and approval voting by political subdivisions and preempt home-rule adoption of those methods, drew large public turnout and split testimony from election officials, Fargo leaders and voting-rights advocates. The committee closed the hearing without immediate action.
Representative Ben Koppelman told the Government and Veterans Affairs Committee he introduced House Bill 1297 to preserve plurality voting statewide and to prevent political subdivisions from adopting ranked-choice or approval voting.
"What I'm asking is that the committee please join me in respecting our right to a fair and equitable election by banning alternative systems that dilute the value of 1 man, 1 vote," Koppelman said, describing plurality voting as the traditional system used across most of the state.
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