Bill > H5520

This bill proposes to change how Rhode Island's presidential electoral votes are allocated by modifying the existing election process. Currently, electoral votes are awarded based on the statewide plurality of votes, but the proposed legislation would divide the state into four groups of municipalities with approximately equal populations, with each group corresponding to one of Rhode Island's congressional representatives. Under this new system, instead of the entire state's votes determining the winner, the winner of each municipal group would be awarded one electoral vote. This means that instead of a winner-take-all approach, the state's electoral votes could be split among candidates based on which candidate wins in each population-balanced municipal group. The bill specifies that these groups would be created during the redistricting process and that the number of groups would align with the number of electoral votes Rhode Island is entitled to receive. The changes would take effect immediately upon the bill's passage, fundamentally altering how presidential elections are contested in Rhode Island by creating a more granular, localized approach to electoral vote allocation.

Government Affairs

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