The Oklahoma Senate passed a law on Wednesday that forbids the use of ranked-choice voting (RCV) in elections. However, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt has not revealed if he will sign the bill.
HB 3156 states that no election in Oklahoma, conducted by the State Election Board, a county election board, or any authorized municipality, should use ranked choice voting, ranked voting, proportional ranked voting, preferential voting, or instant runoff voting. passed passed with 37 Republican votes in favor and eight Democrats against. Three GOP senators did not vote on the bill.
In RCV, voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of first-choice votes in the first round, the last-place finisher is removed, and the votes are reallocated to the voter's second-choice candidate. This process continues until one candidate receives a majority of votes.
HB 3156 would also invalidate any existing or future ordinance approved by a local government authorizing the use of ranked-choice voting. Elections conducted using the system would be invalid.
If a locality violates that provision, the secretary of the Oklahoma Election Board would have the authority to take legal action to enforce the law. The Senate president pro tempore and House speaker may also do so jointly.
With the Oklahoma House already approved HB 3156 last month, the measure now goes to Stitt's desk for signature. The governor's office did not respond to The Federalist's request for comment on whether Stitt intends to sign the bill into law. passed Various U.S. municipalities that adopted RCV have had chaotic and even inaccurate election outcomes.
In an Oakland school board race, for instance, election officials announced two months later that they had miscounted the votes, resulting in the rightful winner claiming his seat. suing experienced
A study
won lost to Democrat Jared Golden despite Poliquin winning the greatest number of votes in the initial round of voting.
Election Transparency Initiative Chair Ken Cuccinelli released a statement applauding the approval of HB 3156 by the Oklahoma Senate and urging Stitt to approve the bill into law in order to prevent a surge in disenfranchised voters whose votes are no longer fairly and equally counted. statement “Now more than ever we need to safeguard the right to vote in honest and equitable elections that voters can have confidence in, but the Ranked-Choice Voting system does the exact opposite,” Cuccinelli expressed. “It is a threat to Election Integrity, is never viable, and should always be forbidden.”
that have banned RCV in their elections consist of Florida, Idaho, Tennessee, Montana, South Dakota, and Kentucky.
States The Oklahoma Senate passed a bill on Wednesday banning the use of ranked-choice voting in elections. Will Gov. Stitt approve it?
