Subcommittee holds hearing on bill to ban ranked‑choice voting in Georgia; witnesses split on runoffs, turnout and military carve‑out

A Governmental Affairs subcommittee held a hearing on legislation that would ban ranked‑choice voting (RCV) in Georgia except for a limited carve‑out for uniformed and overseas voters. The hearing produced extended debate between the bill’s sponsor and a broad set of witnesses who emphasized differing priorities: voter clarity and uniform statewide rules versus reducing runoff costs and offering local pilot options.

Senator Robertson, the bill’s sponsor, told the panel the measure “outlaws rank choice voting in Georgia” and argued RCV has produced confusion in other jurisdictions. Robertson described concerns ranging from ballots with many choices to delayed results in some places and said the bill is “a very simple bill.” He indicated he would accept a friendly amendment to preserve RCV access for military and overseas voters in limited circumstances.

Supporters of the bill — including some testimony from voters and advocates — raised concerns about ballot complexity and transparency. Tamara Favorito of VoterGA told the committee RCV…