Bill > SB528

Introduced Session

TOP-FIVE PRIMARIES FOR CERTAIN NATIONAL OFFICES Under current law, electors voting in a partisan primary may select the party whose candidates they wish to vote for and may cast votes for candidates only within that political party. The single candidate who receives the greatest number of votes for each office within each party is nominated to appear on the general election ballot. Independent candidates and candidates of minor parties that do not qualify for a separate party ballot, column, or row do not appear on the partisan primary ballot. This bill provides that electors may vote in the primary for U.S. senator and representative in Congress for any candidate regardless of party affiliation, and the five persons who receive the greatest numbers of votes for each such office are nominated to appear on the general election ballot. Under the bill, independent LRB-4445/1 MPG&JK:emw&skw 2023 - 2024 Legislature SENATE BILL 528 candidates for such offices and candidates of minor parties appear on the top-five primary ballot, and electors may vote for these candidates in the same manner as other candidates. INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING FOR CERTAIN NATIONAL OFFICES IN GENERAL ELECTIONS The bill requires instant runoff voting at the general election for U.S. senator and representative in Congress. Under instant runoff voting, voters use a ranked-choice ballot and have the option to cast their vote for each office in order of preference. If a voter ranks more than one candidate for an office, the voter must indicate a preference between the candidates by designating one as “first choice," another as “second choice," and subsequent choices in sequential preference. A voter may also indicate as one of their preferences a write-in candidate for any office. Under the bill an instant runoff is used to determine the candidate elected. All votes are tallied and the candidate with fewest first-choice preferences is eliminated. A voter who has chosen that candidate has his or her single vote transferred to the voter's second-choice preference. The votes are tallied again and this process continues until there are two remaining candidates. At that point, the candidate with a majority of the combined first-choice and reallocated preferences wins. For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Rob Cowles (R)*,  Jesse James (R)*,  Jeff Smith (D)*,  Mark Spreitzer (D)*,  Jimmy Anderson (D),  Deb Andraca (D),  Robert Donovan (R),  Steve Doyle (D),  Dora Drake (D),  Alex Joers (D),  Scott Johnson (R),  Joel Kitchens (R),  Anthony Kurtz (R),  Jeff Mursau (R),  Todd Novak (R),  Daniel Riemer (D),  Katrina Shankland (D),  David Steffen (R),  Lisa Subeck (D),  Ron Tusler (R),  Shannon Zimmerman (R), 

Senator Hesselbein added as a coauthor (on 05/16/2024)

Official Document