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House committee hears six-hour debate over bill to let local governments adopt ranked-choice voting
Summary
Lawmakers and witnesses debated House Bill 2,210, which would let Washington cities, counties and special districts opt into ranked-choice voting through 2032. Supporters said RCV could improve representation for underrepresented communities; opponents and many county auditors warned of cost, voter confusion and potential decreases in ballot completion rates.
Representative Mia Gregersen on Wednesday introduced House Bill 2,210 as an opt-in, six-year pilot that would permit counties, cities, towns, school districts, fire districts and ports to adopt ranked-choice voting (RCV) and change the nonpartisan primary from a top-two to a top-five winnowing system.
Gregersen said the measure responds to legal uncertainty from recent Supreme Court litigation she cited as "Louisiana v Calais" and framed RCV as a narrowly tailored ‘‘tool in the toolbox’’ for local jurisdictions that want alternatives to at-large or district systems. "This is not a mandate," she said, noting the bill contains an emergency clause and a sunset.
The committee heard sharply divided testimony. Proponents — including Nilu Jengs of FairVote Washington, Trevon Parrish of…
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