Bill > H0363

This bill proposes a new optional ranked-choice voting (RCV) system for towns, cities, and villages in Vermont for single-seat office elections. Under this system, municipalities can voluntarily choose to implement RCV at their annual or special meetings, and once adopted, the system remains in place until they vote to discontinue it. The RCV process allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference on the ballot, with candidates listed alphabetically. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes in the initial count, the system conducts a series of "paired comparisons" between candidates to determine a winner. In these comparisons, ballots are analyzed to see which candidate is preferred when candidates are matched against each other two at a time. If a "consistent majority winner" emerges (a candidate who wins in every head-to-head matchup), that candidate is declared the winner. If no such candidate exists, the winner is determined by the paired comparison between the two candidates who received the most first-choice votes. The bill requires that election results be publicly posted, showing first-choice vote totals and the details of all paired comparisons. To implement this system, a municipality must already be using the Australian ballot system, and the Secretary of State will develop rules for administering the ranked-choice voting process.

Government Affairs

https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/H.363