A bill for an act allowing the use of ranked choice and instant runoff voting in local government elections in this state.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Matt Blake and 7 co-sponsors

Allows local governments (cities, counties, school districts, other subdivisions) to adopt ranked choice or instant runoff voting for local elections, optional not mandatory.

Subcommittee: Rozenboom, Schultz, and Townsend.

#ballots #citygovernment #electionsandpolitics #localgovernment #runoffelections #voting

Summary of SF 561 — Local Government Ranked Choice and Instant Runoff Voting

## Overview
SF 561 would authorize local governments within the state to conduct elections for local offices using ranked choice voting (RCV) or instant runoff voting (IRV). The bill defines these methods and allows local jurisdictions to adopt them for their elections. It is currently in subcommittee for consideration.

## What the bill does
- Allows, but does not mandate, local government elections to be conducted using ranked choice voting or instant runoff voting.
- Provides definitions to clarify terms and scope within the bill (seeKey provisions and definitions below).

## Key provisions

Local government scope: The bill defines “local government” to include:

An incorporated or unincorporated city or town
A county
A school (district)
Any other political subdivision of the state

Ranked choice voting / instant runoff voting: The bill defines both methods as:

Voters rank candidates in order of preference
Ballot tabulation proceeds in rounds
In each round, either a candidate is elected or the candidate with the fewest votes is defeated
Votes are transferred from elected or defeated candidates to the voter’s next-preferred candidate
Tabulation ends when a candidate receives a majority of votes cast, or when the number of elected candidates equals the number of offices to be filled, as applicable

Purpose and use: The bill states that elections for local government offices may be cast or tabulated using RCV or IRV, as defined, for elections conducted in this state.

Explanatory note: The bill includes a standard “EXPLANATION” section clarifying that the explanatory text does not bind the General Assembly’s interpretation.

## Definitions (as used in the bill)

“Local government”: Incorporated or unincorporated city/town, county, school, or any other political subdivision.

“Ranked choice voting” / “instant runoff voting”: A voting method where voters rank candidates and tabulation proceeds through rounds with vote transfers until a candidate achieves a majority or until enough candidates are elected to fill the offices.

## Procedural/timeline aspects

Introduced: March 6, 2025

Actions:

Subcommittee: Rozenboom, Schultz, and Townsend (as of March 11, 2025)
Referred to: State Government (March 6, 2025)

The current document indicates committee consideration but does not specify a final passage date or a statewide effective date.

## Sponsors
- Primary sponsors include: Blake, Zimmer, Wahls, Townsend, Dotzler, Trone Garriott, Donahue, and Weiner

## Potential impact (contextual note)
- Enables local jurisdictions to adopt RCV or IRV, which could affect election administration, voter education, and ballot counting procedures at the local level.
- As written, the bill authorizes use rather than mandating statewide adoption, giving local governments discretion over whether to implement these methods.

This summary reflects the introduced text and stated actions as of the subcommittee stage.