Hamadeh Bill Would Go A Long Way Toward The Overall Prohibition Of RCV Nationwide

Recently there has been a fair amount of activity regarding the implementation, and the repeal, of a voting method named ranked choice voting (RCV) as a substitute for more conventional methods of electing candidates for public office.

For an explanation of RCV we defer to the result of a Google search:

How RCV Works

• Initial Voting: Voters rank candidates from their most preferred to least preferred.
• Majority Requirement: If a candidate receives more than half of the first-choice votes, they win outright.
• Elimination Process: If no candidate achieves a majority:
  • The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated.
  • Votes for the eliminated candidate are redistributed to the remaining candidates based on the next preferences indicated on those ballots.
  • This process continues until a candidate secures a majority.”

If this scheme sounds complicated and convoluted, it is because it is, and it is not by accident. The more complicated an election system is, the greater need to rely on machines and the greater opportunity for mischief.

A 2023 study conducted by Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) revealed some disturbing characteristics of RCV. Here are some of their key findings:

• Ranked-choice voting’s track record is the best argument against it.
• Ranked-choice voting requires that legitimate voters’ ballots be thrown in the trash when no candidate receives a majority of the vote.
• Candidates with the most votes often lose while those receiving as little as four percent of the vote win, diminishing voter confidence in elections.
• Ranked-choice voting leads to errors and delayed results lasting weeks, or even months.
• Legislation supporting ranked-choice voting is overwhelmingly sponsored by Democrats.

The Bottom Line: To protect voters and their ballots, states should follow the lead of Florida, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, and Tennessee and ban ranked-choice voting.”

A prime example of the failure of RCV to produce results that represent the will of the majority is what happened in Alaska in 2022. In a special congressional election, the following happened:

• The Republican candidates got over 60% of the vote.
• The Democratic candidate won
• Nearly 15,000 ballots were trashed.

There have been recent and current actions regarding rank choice voting. Here are some examples:

ALASKA

YEAR	TITLE – PURPOSE	YES VOTES	NO VOTES	COMMENTS
2020	Ballot Measure 2 Adopt RCV	174,032 (51%)	170,251 (49%)	Adoption of RCV was approved by a narrow 2-point spread. The fact that this measure also contained provisions regarding campaign financing may have influenced its approval.
2024	Ballot Measure 2 Repeal RCV	160,230 (50%)	160,973 (50%)	Repeal of RCV failed by a mere 743 votes, a spread lower than 1%
2026	Ballot Measure 2 Repeal RCV			There is every reason to believe that RCV will be repealed, based on the closeness of the 2024 vote and the continued dissatisfaction of voters with the results of RCV elections

ARIZONA

YEAR	TITLE – PURPOSE	YES VOTES	NO VOTES	COMMENTS
2024	Proposition 140 Adopt RCV	1,284,176 (41%)	1,823,445 (59%)	This huge, 18%, margin of defeat for adoption of RCV, and its poor performance in other states, indicate that it is not likely to succeed if future attempts are made to adopt it in AZ.

U.S. HOUSE

In the U. S. House, Arizona Representative Abe Hamadeh has wisely introduced House Bill H.R.3040 – Preventing Ranked Choice Corruption Act. This bill would prohibit the use of ranked choice voting in elections for Federal office.

Even though it deals only with federal level elections, it would go a long way toward the overall prohibition of RCV nationwide. Voters are hereby encouraged to contact their congress members and request advancement of H.R.3040.