from Jen Haugland (Duenkel)
House Bill 1592 Relating to using ranked choice voting in the presidential primary
Sponsored by Representatives Mena, Gregerson, Ramel, and Fitzgibbon
https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2023-24/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/1592.pdf?q=20230125103349
This is what is new (its a short bill, easy reading material, but note the new sections and underlined). Here is my summary from my understanding:
- If there are more than two candidates in a presidential primary election your county will use RCV. Otherwise it goes back to your top-two method.
- Your county auditor will not be allowed to tabulate the results of the presidential primary that is completed with RCV. Instead under new section 1 c & d the auditor will have to send the date the Cast Vote Records to the OSOS for tabulation and it will be the authority of the SOS to tabulate the results using the instant run-off voting method and then the state shall make available to the voters in our county the preliminary and final results including each round of counting ballots. The SOS shall also make available cast vote record data in a publicly accessible electronic format in a manner based on precincts except when precinct results violates a voters right to a secret ballot. The SOS will determine the number of ranks a voter will have for the primary election (I’m assuming this is based on the number of presidential candidates in the primary. The SOS will determine the ballot. If a voter has 5 candidates to rank then you will be allowed to rank the 5 choices. I believe this eliminates Mickey Mouse as a write-in option from here on out.)
- This bill also gives specific rules for auditors on how ballots will be counted in RCV: Voters must rank their 1,2,3,4,5 choices. (basically, when a voter is confused or misses ranking votes by all the choices. FYI this has been defined by researchers as “voter fatigue” and a method of disenfranchising the voter). If you voted for 1 and 1 gets eliminated after the RCV method has been calculated in the race, then your number 1 vote no longer counts and it drops down to what your number 2 choice was, and so on, etc. Also, if a voter picks 1 and 1, then both of those votes will be thrown out and your votes do not count, but your 3,4,5 have potential to be considered. If a voter picks 1, omitting choice 2,3), none of his or her remaining choices will be counted. No skipping allowed of two or more consecutive.
- if a local party chooses to allow voters to select delegates who can be uncommitted to go to their National Convention just like the delegates who would be committed, the party will have to identify a threshold by % of votes that candidate must receive in order to win that delegation slot, otherwise they will not be a delegate to the convention. RCV screws with the vote % so much so, that you could have less than 50% and it will eliminate you and give it it delegate choice number 2.
- Finally, the Voting System Machines will now have a loophole that allows for certification of just equipment to be certified within systems, since the EAC has only allowed the VSTL’s to certify completed Voting Systems. For example, Mason County has the Clear Ballot Voting System which includes a scanner, tabulator, etc. If one of those items in the system gets upgraded or changed out the VSM is no longer officially certified unless the whole system is resubmitted to the EAC testing company (we have ProV&V) in order to be tested and certified again according to the EAC. This is based on the HAVA Act of 2002. The Legislature is going to make it legal for allowing for changes to be made within the VSM so that just that one changed machine has to be certified… not he whole system. This violates the federal mandates that were created when Congress created the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to oversee and to protect our constitutional rights of voters with the machine vote systems.
WE are in SERIOUS trouble with this HB. Contact both Representatives Dan Griffey and Travis Couture to vote NO against this bill. It must not get out of committee.
In case you didn’t see the video example of how RCV works here it is again:
One Person, One Vote. No Compromise. Hold the Line.
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Note from Editor: A number of years ago, Ranked Choice Voting (also known as Instant Runoff Voting) was brought to Clallam County through the Home Rule Charter Commission. The people of the county voted it down, and with good reason.
Here is a link to the article we ran at that time:
Rep. Mike Chapman has signed on to the Ranked Choice Voting bill. Be sure to let your voice be heard…