MORGANTOWN – The Senate bill to ban ranked choice voting breezed through the House of Delegates this week, passed overwhelmingly on Friday and will soon head to the governor’s desk.
SB 490 prohibits ranked choice voting – RCV – in local, state or federal elections. It defines ranked choice voting – generally abbreviated as RCV – as occurring in rounds where losers are eliminated until one candidate scores a clear majority.
RCV is used statewide in Alaska, Hawaii and Maine. RCV is prohibited in Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
The Senate passed SB 490 on Tuesday. The House received it on Tuesday and immediately took it up for first reading without any committee reference. It reached third reading on Friday.
On the House floor on Friday, it was said that the bill doesn’t apply to internal party processes – a provision explicitly mentioned in the corresponding House bill, HB 2683, which was sidelined to the House inactive calendar when it reached second reading.
However, given that SB 490 explicitly states what elections it applies to, the consensus is that it effectively exempts internal party elections,
Delegate Kayla Young, D-Kanawha, said RCV isn’t used anywhere in the state. “This is a waste of time. We’re not helping people here. I’ll be a no.”
Judiciary chair JB Akers, R-Kanawha, said the bill is a proactive measure, to keep RCV from taking effect here.
Delegate Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, pointed out that the blue chairs at all the delegates’ desks – purchased during the chamber renovation completed before the 2024 session – were chosen from among a group of candidates by ranked choice voting.
It worked well for that, he said, and it can work well in an election with a crowded slate of candidates. It can also promote civility, where a candidate doesn’t want to alienate another candidate’s voters and jeopardize a chance of being at least a second choice.
“We’re banning something that we don’t have,” he said.
Supporting the bill, Delegate Larry Kump, R-Berkeley, said, “For sure and for certain, ranked choice voting is a Rube Goldberg political scheme.” RCV primaries are often called jungle primaries. “Ranked choice voting will confuse voters in West Virginia and undermine confidence in election integrity.”
The vote was 87-9, with all opposition votes from Democrats.
