2022 -- S 2232 SUBSTITUTE A | |
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LC004276/SUB A | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2022 | |
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S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N | |
CREATING A SPECIAL SENATE COMMISSION TO STUDY RANKED CHOICE VOTING | |
AND RUNOFF ELECTIONS FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND GENERAL OFFICER | |
PRIMARIES | |
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Introduced By: Senators Zurier, DiMario, Kallman, and McCaffrey | |
Date Introduced: February 08, 2022 | |
Referred To: Senate Judiciary | |
1 | WHEREAS, Using Ranked Choice Voting has the potential to expand the range of |
2 | choices available to voters by allowing them to vote for candidates of their choice without |
3 | concern of giving an advantage to the candidate they least prefer and promote campaigns that are |
4 | more positive and focused on issues because candidates will seek to appeal to opponents' |
5 | supporters as a second choice; and |
6 | WHEREAS, The implementation of runoff elections would ensure that a winner of a |
7 | primary election won a majority of the votes in a given election, promoting majority support of a |
8 | candidate by the electorate; now therefore be it |
9 | RESOLVED, That a special legislative commission be and the same is hereby created |
10 | consisting of seven (7) members: three (3) of whom shall be members of the Senate, not more |
11 | than two (2) from the same political party, to be appointed by the President of the Senate; one of |
12 | whom shall be a representative of the Board of Elections, to be appointed by the President of the |
13 | Senate; one of whom shall be the Secretary of State, or designee; and two (2) of whom shall be |
14 | representatives from a board of canvassers or election officials of two (2) different cities or towns |
15 | in the state, to be appointed by the President of the Senate. |
16 | All members of the study commission shall be registered voters of this state at the time of |
17 | their selection and at all times while they remain on the commission. |
18 | The purpose of said commission shall be to study the potential application of ranked |
19 | choice voting on primary elections for General Assembly and General Officer candidates, |
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1 | including but not limited to; |
2 | • Analyzing the requirements for implementing ranked choice voting, including |
3 | public education, voting equipment and technology, ballot designs, and costs; |
4 | • Determining the level of public support for ranked choice voting; |
5 | • Reviewing the experience of other states in conducting elections using ranked |
6 | choice voting; |
7 | • Providing recommended changes in the law to implement ranked choice voting; |
8 | and |
9 | • Providing recommendations on making all voting systems used in the state |
10 | compatible with ranked choice voting, including a review of the availability and costs of |
11 | necessary voting equipment; study any other alternatives to single-ballot plurality voting the |
12 | commission considers relevant or useful. |
13 | Forthwith upon passage of this resolution, the members of the commission shall meet at |
14 | the call of the President of the Senate, who shall appoint a Chair of the commission. |
15 | Vacancies in the commission shall be filled in like manner as the original appointment. |
16 | A quorum of the commission shall consist of a majority of its membership, and the |
17 | membership of the commission shall receive no compensation for their services. |
18 | All departments and agencies of the state, shall furnish such advice and information, |
19 | documentary or otherwise, to the commission and its agents as is deemed necessary or desirable |
20 | by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this resolution. |
21 | The Joint Committee on Legislative Services is hereby authorized and directed to provide |
22 | suitable quarters for the commission; and be it further |
23 | RESOLVED, That the commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the |
24 | President of the Senate on or before February 1, 2023, and the commission shall expire on July 1, |
25 | 2023. |
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LC004276/SUB A | |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N | |
CREATING A SPECIAL SENATE COMMISSION TO STUDY RANKED CHOICE VOTING | |
AND RUNOFF ELECTIONS FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND GENERAL OFFICER | |
PRIMARIES | |
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1 | This resolution creates a seven (7) member commission to study ranked choice voting for |
2 | General Assembly and General Officer primaries, and would report back to the President of the |
3 | Senate on or before February 1, 2023, and would expire on July 1, 2023. |
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