Iowa Senate Republicans passed a bill Wednesday to ban ranked choice voting. About 50 jurisdictions across the country vote for some elected officials by ranking candidates in order of preference. The bill would prohibit ranked choice voting in Iowa, where it’s currently not being used.
Sen. Ken Rozenboom, R-Oskaloosa, says Iowa has a very good election system and ranked choice voting would be confusing.
“In my view, ranked choice voting makes it harder to vote, it makes the votes harder to count, and it’s much harder to ensure a transparent and — accountable democratic process.”
Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, opposed the bill. She says ranked choice voting saves money on runoff elections and gives voters more choices.
“We see increased voter participation and much higher voter satisfaction because all candidates are considered, and all the votes count.”
The bill now goes to the House for consideration.