A Republican-sponsored bill prohibiting Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in Arizona passed in the state Senate by a slim majority vote on Feb. 28.
All 16 Republicans in the GOP-dominated chamber voted in favor of the bill’s adoption, with 13 Democrats voting against it. One Democrat abstained from voting.
SB1265 seeks to prohibit RCV in Arizona while maintaining the status quo of candidates receiving the most legal votes in an election being the declared winner.
Arizona Sen. Anthony Kern, the bill’s lead Republican sponsor, said the legislation would prevent confusion voting in Arizona’s elections.
Map of states and U.S. cities using ranked-choice voting (SOURCE: FairVote)
“RCV is an alternative voting method where voters can rank their preferred candidates in order of preference,” according to an Arizona State Senate press release….