Utah House votes to end ranked‑choice voting pilot amid split floor debate

The Utah House on Feb. 21 voted to end the state's ranked‑choice voting pilot program, advancing House Bill 290 to the Senate by a 43–26 margin.

Sponsor Representative Hall urged passage, saying the pilot has not produced intended benefits and citing complaints from municipal officials about voter confusion, ballot complexity and auditing concerns. "It doesn't appear to be having these intended consequences broadly," Hall said, urging uniformity across the state's municipal elections.

Members on both sides sparred over the evidence and local control. Representative Wilton, who supports ranked‑choice voting, disputed claims that the method uniformly lowers confidence and said local results in some cities (for example, Lehi) showed higher participation. Representative King argued the pilot could incentivize more civil campaigning and urged letting the remaining two years play out.

Supporters of ending the pilot argued the patchwork adoption has produced confusion for voters and election administrators. Opponents emphasized local choice, disputed selective use of data and urged a fuller interim evaluation before repeal.

After debate, Representative Kyle called the question to end debate, which passed by the required two‑thirds, and Representative Hall gave summation. The House then recorded a roll‑call vote and approved H.B.290 43–26; the bill will be transmitted to the Senate for further consideration.

The House record shows multiple municipalities (Lehi, Sandy, Mill Creek, Cottonwood Heights and Heber City) cited during debate as sources of constituent feedback. Members repeatedly referenced participation and auditing concerns as the core evidence for their positions.