West Virginia and Wyoming took major steps toward securing their elections by passing prohibitions on the use of ranked-choice voting (RCV).
On Tuesday, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed into law SB 490, which stipulates that “[n]o state, county, or local elections office may use ranked choice voting or instant runoff voting to conduct an election or nomination of any candidate in this state for any local government, statewide, or federal elective office.” Any “existing or future ordinance” adopted by a local government promoting the use of such a system would be declared void under the measure.
Often referred to as “rigged-choice voting” by its critics, RCV is a system in which voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-choice votes in the first round of voting, the last-place finisher is eliminated, and his votes are reallocated to the voter’s second-choice candidate. This process continues until one candidate receives a majority of votes.
As The Federalist previously reported, RCV has produced Democrat victories in races for which Republican candidates initially received more votes, outcomes which likely contribute to numerous leftist officials’ support for the system. RCV has also generated inaccurate election results and has been shown to lead to high rates of discarded ballots.
Further out West, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon also signed legislation (HB 165) on Tuesday prohibiting the use of ranked-choice voting in Cowboy State elections. Similar to the West Virginia bill, the Wyoming law declares that “[a]ny existing or future ordinance enacted or adopted by a county, municipality or any other governmental entity that purports to authorize ranked choice voting … is void.”
The passage of both bills into law makes West Virginia and Wyoming the 12th and 13th states to prohibit the use of ranked-choice voting in their elections.
HB 165 wasn’t the only election integrity-related bill signed into law by Gordon, however.
The GOP governor also signed measures on Tuesday granting the Wyoming secretary of state greater access to tools to identify potential noncitizens on the voter rolls and barring the acceptance and offering of private money to conduct elections. The latter bill is seemingly aimed at preventing the type of “Zuckbucks” interference that plagued numerous states in the 2020 election.
For more election news and updates, visit electionbriefing.com.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
