Bill
H 4499
Authorizes Arlington to use ranked-choice voting for specified local offices, pending voter approval; uses round-by-round tallies and publishes results to boost transparency.
Status & Sponsors
- Bill number: H 4499
- Sponsors: Rep. Sean Garballey (Arlington) and Sen. Cindy F. Friedman
- Filed: 9/9/2025; Introduced 9/11/2025
- Classification: Local act / resolution (authorizing a local change)
- Legislative actions: Referred to the Committee on Election Laws (9/11/2025); Senate concurred (9/15/2025); hearing scheduled 11/13/2025.
- Related: HD 5117 (replaces)
Purpose
- To authorize the Town of Arlington, MA to use ranked choice voting (RCV) for specified local offices, subject to local voter approval via a ballot question.
Key provisions
- Amendments: Inserts a new Section 8B into Chapter 503 of the Acts of 1952 (as amended).
- Definitions: Establishes precise definitions used in the statute (e.g., “ranked choice voting,” “ranking,” “continuing candidate,” “concluded ballot,” “overvote,” “highest-ranked continuing candidate”).
- Offices covered: Requires RCV for elections for the following Arlington offices:
- Select board member
- School committee member
- Moderator
- Elected member of the housing authority board
- Assessor
Exceptions: RCV is not required for single-seat races with 2 or fewer candidates on the ballot, nor for multi-seat races with a number of candidates less than or equal to the number of seats.
- Tabulation rules:
- Single-seat races: Tabulation proceeds in rounds. In each round, each ballot counts for its highest-ranked continuing candidate; concluded ballots (ballots that do not rank any continuing candidate or contain an overvote at the highest-ranked continuing candidate) are not counted further. If two continuing candidates remain, the one with most votes wins; otherwise, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and a new round begins.
- Multi-seat races: Seats are filled sequentially. After each seat is filled using the single-seat process, votes for elected candidates are disregarded and remaining ballots count for the next-highest ranked continuing candidate for subsequent seat-rounds.
- Tie-breaking: If two or more candidates tie for fewest votes and tabulation cannot proceed, the tie is resolved by comparing counts from prior rounds successively. The town clerk must establish a method for breaking ties that occur in the first round.
- Administrative provisions:
- The town clerk, with select board approval, may make minimal changes to ballot format and tabulation procedures needed to ensure integrity and effective administration while preserving RCV.
- The town clerk must publish round-by-round tabulation results.
- Local voter approval required:
- Section 2 requires placing the question “Shall an act entitled ‘An Act Authorizing Ranked Choice Voting in the Town of Arlington’ be accepted?” on a regular or special election ballot.
- The town attorney prepares the ballot summary.
- The RCV provisions take effect in Arlington only if a majority of those voting on the question vote “Yes.”
Who is affected
- Arlington voters and candidates for the specified local offices.
- Arlington town officials responsible for election administration (town clerk, select board, town attorney).
- Potentially election vendors, ballot/IT systems, and volunteer/training resources required to implement RCV.
Potential impacts and considerations
- Electoral outcomes: RCV can change campaign dynamics and vote aggregation compared with plurality voting, potentially reducing vote-splitting and enabling majority-supported winners.
- Administration: Implementation may require changes to ballots, tabulation procedures, training, public education, and possibly election equipment or software updates.
- Transparency: The requirement to publish round-by-round results increases transparency of the count.
- Local control: The ordinance applies only in Arlington and only after a majority of Arlington voters approve the ballot question.
Note about unrelated material in the file
- The bill package also contains text of a separate adopted House resolution (05/06/2025) congratulating Emma Louise Jefferies Houston on her 104th birthday (South Carolina House resolution). That resolution is unrelated to the Arlington RCV local act and appears to be included in the file as distinct content.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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