“Electoral disaster”: Georgia senator, Lt. Gov. propose banning ranked-choice voting

The Georgia 2024 legislative session is underway and lawmakers are working on which new legislation they want on the books come sine die.

According to a release from Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Sen. Randy Robertson (R-Cataula), banning ranked-choice voting is on the agenda for the current session.

In a statement, both Republican politicians pushed back on ranked-choice voting, saying it was “designed to cause confusion” among voters and that their proposed bill would “be proactive” to ensure Georgia voters can trust that their votes count.

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Bill author Robertson said the legislation, Senate Bill 355, continues the mission started with SB 202, a 2021 bill aimed at reforming parts of Georgia’s election system. Included in the bill’s provisions was a ban on passing out food or water to those waiting in line to vote, which was struck down by a judge in August.

“The integrity of Georgia’s elections and increasing every Georgia voter’s faith in their elections system should be a priority for every member of the General Assembly,” Robertson said in a statement. “SB 355 was introduced to continue the mission we started with SB202 of being proactive in ensuring Georgians can trust their elections and trust that their vote will be counted.”

According to the bill text, ranked-choice voting would be defined as “a voting method that allows electors to rank candidates for an office in order of preference and has ballots cast be tabulated in multiple rounds following the elimination of a candidate until a single candidate attains a majority.”

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The bill, if passed, would remove ranked-choice voting as an option for the election of any candidate for local, state or federal office.

Jones said the proposal for the ban is, at least in part, in opposition to proposals by “those on the Left” who have called for ranked-choice voting in Georgia elections. He said the option would “open the door for voter confusion, political manipulation and increased polarization,” adding that “Ranked-choice voting is designed to cause confusion and fatigue among voters. This type of voting system, pushed by dark money groups, could cause a drastic increase in the number of ballots being thrown out, disenfranchising Georgia voters. Georgians deserve to have the utmost faith in their elections, and those pushing Ranked-choice voting are only hindering that faith.”

In closing, Jones called ranked-choice voting an “electoral disaster.”

As it stands, Georgia does not currently have ranked-choice voting, while other states have versions based on the type of election, be it statewide, local, or opt-in for certain municipalities.

Five states currently have a ban on ranked-choice voting, including Georgia’s neighboring states Florida and Tennessee.

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