Bill > H4034

This bill authorizes the town of Brookline to implement ranked choice voting (RCV) for town-wide elections, which allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference instead of choosing just one. The bill provides detailed provisions for how RCV will work, including definitions of key terms like "batch elimination" and "election threshold," and describes the vote-counting process for both single-seat and multi-seat elections. In single-seat elections, candidates with the lowest vote totals are progressively eliminated, and votes for eliminated candidates are redistributed to voters' next-ranked choices until one candidate wins. In multi-seat elections, a similar process occurs, with candidates being elected when they reach a predetermined vote threshold, and their excess votes being proportionally transferred to voters' next choices. The bill also specifies that RCV will only be used when there are more than two candidates for a single-seat office or more candidates than available seats for a multi-seat office. Additionally, the legislation provides for ballot design requirements, allows for future reconsideration of RCV after four years, and mandates that the Town Clerk provide voter education materials. The bill will be submitted to Brookline voters for approval at the next municipal or state election, with a provision that allows for future votes to either continue or discontinue the use of ranked choice voting.

Government Affairs

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4034