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Archived Legislation and Ballot Measures
2003-2004
Congress
Search
the
Library of Congress to track
legislation.
House Resolution 5293
House Resolution 5293 is a bill
introduced by Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) that would require states to
conduct general elections for federal office to use an instant runoff voting
system by 2008. It also directs the Election Assistance Commission to make
grants to States to defray the costs of administering such systems. The law
would be applied to all federal elections in the States and include the District
of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and the
United States Virgin Islands.
House Joint Resolution 109
House Joint Resolution 109 is an amendment
to the U.S. Constitution proposed by Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) to
eliminate the Electoral College and allow the American people to directly elect
their President and Vice President.
Congress 2006 Commission Act
Congress
2006 Commission Act HR (415) is a bill sponsored by Representative
Alcee Hastings (D – FL) that would create a commission to analyze both the
size of Congress and the voting method by which representatives are
elected. The bill was introduced in the 105th Congress as HR 187 and
re-introduced on January 28, 2003 in the 108th Congress. The bill would
allow Congress to "consider whether alternative methods of electing House
Members" would be more inclusive for members of the American
electorate. Find out more about U.S.
House size and read Rep. Hastings' letter
in 2001 about his bill. Referred to the House Committe on
the Judiciary 1/28/03.
House Joint Resolution 28
House
Joint Resolution 28 is an amendment Congressman Jesse
Jackson Jr. (D- IL) has introduced to ensure the right to vote in the U.S.
Constitution -- and also require IRV (or another majority system) for allocating
electoral votes in states. The amendment has 13 co-sponsors, as of Dec. 3, 2003.
On Nov. 22, Rep. Jackson gave a stirring keynote speech at CVD's "Claim
Democracy" conference . See
a summary of his key points and hear
his speech.
States
Arkansas
Search the Arkansas General Assembly website to track
legislation.
HB
(2485) Would provide instant runoff voting for military and
overseas voters. Passed by the House and ordered
transmitted to the Senate 3/20/03. Amended and passed by the Senate,
returned to the House 4/16/03. Died in House Committee 4/18/03; failed.
Arkansas nearly
adopts instant runoff voting for overseas voters: First-year bill
passes house, falls just short on senate floor.
Northwest
Arkansas News: "Election Commission Reviews Ballot-Related
Legislation." Article discusses pending election reform currently
considered in Arkansas, including HB (2485). March 8, 2003.
California
Search the California State Legislature website to track
legislation.
SCA
(14) Would put a range of electoral
reforms, including a less partisan redistricting process and instant runoff
voting [See Section 3.7(b)] on the statewide ballot for all elections.
Introduced 9/12/03. Died in committee 12/1/04.
AB
(1039) Would allow cities the
flexibility to elect officers or fill vacancies by means of cumulative voting,
choice voting, limited voting, or IRV. Referred to Committee
on Elections, Redistricting and Constitutional Amendments. Public
hearing cancelled 4/17/03. Died 2/2/04.
Connecticut
Search the Connecticut General Assembly website to track
legislation.
RB
(6622) Would require new voting equipment to accommodate instant
runoff voting and cumulative voting. Referred to Joint Committee on
Government Administration and Elections 3/10/03. Public hearing 3/21/03. Failed;
no further action taken.
On March 21, the Joint Committee on
Government Administration and Elections heard written
testimony composed by CVD senior analyst Terry Bouricius.
Florida
Search the Florida Senate
and House
of Representatives websites to track legislation.
HB
(59B) Would eliminate second primary elections and require
instant runoff voitng in primaries. Failed in special session 2003-B.
SB
(1544) Eliminates the second primary and provides for instant
runoff voting for the primary election. Referred to Ethics and Elections
Committee 3/20/03. Failed; died in committee 5/2/03.
CVD Executive Director Rob Richie testified before the Senate
Ethics and Elections Committee at a hearing on 3/20/03 and presented a Powerpoint
presentation on instant runoff voting and Florida's history of
runoff elections.
St
Petersburg Times (FL): "Lessons in Voting From the
French." March 30, 2003.
Hawaii
Search the Hawaii State Legislature website to track
legislation.
HB
(143) Provides instant runoff voting for all state offices
(governor, lieutenant governor, state house of representatives, state senator,
and county offices as authorized by ordinance). Referred to Judicial/Finance
Committees 1/28/03. No further action
taken. Carried over.
SB
(1230) Provides for instant runoff voting in
all county elections in which no primary election is held. The
Transportation, Military Affairs, Government Operations Committee deferred
measure 2/10/03. No further action taken. Carried over.
HB
(676) Would provide for instant runoff voting for all
counties that do not hold primaries. Introduced to House 1/22/03. Carried
over to 2004 regular session.
HB
(677)/SB
(1045) Provides
instant runoff voting for all state offices (governor, lieutenant governor,
state house of representative, state senator, and county offices as authorized
by ordinance).Referred to Judicial/Finance Committees 1/28/03. No
further action taken. Carried over.
Illinois
Search the Illinois General Assembly website to track
legislation.
HJRCA
(22) House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 22, if
passed by sixty percent of both houses of the Illinois General
Assembly, would put on the November 2004 ballot a constitutional amendment that
would change the current 118 one-person districts for the House into thirty-nine
three-person districts, elected with cumulative voting rights. Filed
11/6/03.
HB
(138) Introduced by Jack Franks (D-Woodstock), this new law gives
county boards the authority to grant cumulative voting rights in multi-member
districts. Previously, county boards in Illinois could use at-large
elections, multi-member districts of single-member districts, but they could
not grant cumulative voting rights in multi-member districts or at-large
elections. Several counties with use multi-member districts over-represent
the majority party, notably DuPage County (18 R - 0 D) and McHenry County (24 R
-0 D). Granting cumulative voting rights in multi-member districts creates bipartisan
representation in every district. This new law also authorizes advisory
referenda on the structure of the county board. Passed House and Senate
and signed by Governor Blagojevich on 7/23/03.
HB
(395) Requires officials to provide primary election ballots
that permit instant runoff voting for absentee voters in U.S.
military or outside of
U.S. Referred to House Rules Committee 3/13/03. Pending; no further action
taken.
SB
(1371) Sponsored by Senator Miguel del Valle, would allow
certain school boards in Illinois to use cumulative voting in their elections. Referred
to Senate Rules Committee 3/14/03. No further action taken.
HB
(2544) Would provide all municipalities the flexibility to
adopt cumulative voting. Referred to House Rules Committee 4/04/03. No
further action taken.
HB
(3301) Introduced by Paul Froehlichs and Elaine
Nekritz, would allow cities to use instant runoff voting. Referred to
House Rules Committee 3/13/03. Pending; no further action taken.
HB
(4091) By amending the school code, lets certain boards of
education give cumulative voting rights in the election of board members.
Referred to House Rules Committee 1/15/04. No further action taken.
HB
(4011) Amends the Election Code and the Illinois Municipal
Code so that through referendum, municipalities can adopt instant runoff
voting for the nonpartisan offices of mayor, city clerk, city treasurer, and
city councilman or alderman from single-member districts. Referred to
House Rules Committee 1/14/04. No further action taken.
Northwest
Herald: (IL) "Bill Gives Power to Voters Measure: Could Alter
City Board." Discusses the effort to adopt cumulative voting in Illinois.
February 21, 2003.
Champaign-Urbana
News Gazette: (IL) "Bill Targets County Board
Elections." Discusses the effort to adopt cumulative voting in Illinois.
February 21, 2003.
Iowa
Search the Iowa General Assembly website to track
legislation.
HCR
(7) Establishes an interim committee to study instant runoff
voting. Resolution laid over 2/03/03. No further action taken. Carried over.
Maine
Search the Maine State Legislature website to track
legislation.
L.D.
(212) Provide
instant runoff voting for all state offices (governor, lieutenant governor,
state house of representative, state senator) as well as all federally elected
offices (president, vice president, senator, representative). Motion
carried over to next session 6/14/03.
Amended 4/1/04.
Maine
adopts legislation to fund study on IRV: This
spring Maine's governor signed LD 212, a resolution requiring the Secretary of
State to study the feasibility of using IRV in Maine elections.
Citizen
Testimony: Edward Snyder, former head of the
Friends Committee for National Legislation and Maine resident, supports instant
runoff voting.
Portsmouth
Herald: (NH) "Reformers
Urge New Method for Voting." Discusses the effort to adopt instant runoff
voting in Maine. February 24, 2003.
Portland
Press Herald: (ME) "Support Grows for
Switch to Run-off Voting." Article discusses growing of acceptance of
instant runoff voting among leaders in the Maine legislature. February 19, 2003.
Maryland
Search the Maryland General Assembly website to track
legislation.
HB
(180) Establishes a Study Commission on the Maryland
redistricting, and calls for a CVD representative to be on the commission. First
reading in the House; no action in the Senate. No further action taken.
Massachusetts
Search the Massachusetts State Legislature website to track
legislation.
Three bills propose IRV for statewide
elections, primary
elections and congressional
elections: HB
(2784), HB
(2785), HB
(2952). Referred to the Committee on
Election Laws 1/1/03. The director of Common Cause Massachusetts and several
others testified in favor of the bills at a Hearing of the Joint Committee on
Election Laws held 9/18/03. Pending; no further
action taken.
Join supporters
of instant runoff voting in Massachusetts.
Michigan
Search the Michigan State Legislature website to track
legislation.
Reform movements are growing in Michigan.
See Ferndale
IRV's plans for a 2004 ballot measure.
Minnesota
Search the Minnesota State Legislature website to track
legislation.
HF
(66)/
SF (158) Provides instant runoff voting for elections to all
federal and statewide offices and permits municipalities to adopt instant runoff
voting for municipal offices. SF 158 referred to Rules and Administration
Committee 1/28/03. HF 66 referred to Governmental Operations and Veterans
Affairs Policy Committee 1/13/03. No further action taken. Carried over.
S.F.
(629) Would establish instant runoff voting in all elections
to federal and statewide offices. Would also allow cities to adopt instant
runoff voting and would add compatibility with ranked ballot voting and
cumulative voting to the certification requirements for new electronic voting
equipment. Referred to Rules and Administration Committee 3/03/03. No
further action taken. Carried over.
HF
(1719)/ SF (1613) Would authorize the use of alternative
voting methods for city elections and ensures that Minnesota statutes that do
not allow for the use cumulative or ranked-order voting are prohibited. Referred
to Governmental Operations and Veterans Affairs Policy Committee 2/2/04. Passed
in Senate 2/23/04. Bill defeated in House 3/15/04.
Roseville
IRV resolution
Star
Tribune: (MN) "Instant runoff: Let Roseville voters try
it." Editorial points out cost efficiency and other benefits to Roseville
if it adopts IRV. March 11, 2004.
Pioneer
Press: (MN) "Roseville: House panel OKs bill backing
instant runoff." Bill passed that would allow Roseville to use
alternative voting methods in a special City Council election. February 12,
2004.
Pioneer
Press: (MN) "Roseville considers instant runoff."
Upcoming legislation will allow Roseville, Minnesota to adopt instant run-off
voting. February 4, 2004.
Pioneer
Press: (MN) "Roseville: Senate panel backs option
for runoff vote." Bill passed by Senate Elections Committee allows for
alternative voting methods. February 6, 2004.
FairVote
Minnesota regularly releases e-mail newsletters. See reports
from March 2003
and February
2004.
New Hampshire
Search the New Hampshire State Legislature website to track
legislation.
HB
(275) Establishes a committee to study ballot reform,
including instant runoff voting. Passed House, but failed in
Senate Internal Affairs Committee.
New Jersey
Search the New Jersey State Legislature website to track
legislation.
A
(3418) Provides instant runoff voting for
certain local elective public offices. Referred to Assembly State Government
Committee 3/6/03. Pending; no further action taken.
A
(3433) Requires new voting voting
systems to support elections using IRV. Referred to Assembly State
Government Committee 3/6/03. Pending; no further action taken.
New Mexico
Search the New Mexico State Legislature website to track
legislation.
HB
(208) Would provide for the election of Presidential electors
in proportion to the portion of popular vote received by a party's candidates.
Introduced by Wallace. Failed in the 2003 Regular Session.
SJR
(20) Would allow municipalities with a population of over
60,000 people to implement instant-runoff voting. Sponsored by Richard
Romero. Failed in the 2003 Regular Session.
New York
Search the New York State Legislature website to track
legislation.
S(4683)
Would provide for instant runoff voting for local elections including elections
for statewide public office, county offices, city offices, town offices, and
village offices. Sponsored by Krueger. Referred to Election Law
4/14/03. Pending.
A(4481)
Establishes instant runoff voting in certain primary elections. Referred
to Election Law 2/19/03. Pending; no further action taken.
(4482)
Establishes instant runoff voting in certain local elections. Referred
to Election Law 2/19/03. Pending; no further action taken.
A(08847)
Enacts the Voting Systems Standards Act of 2003. Calls for new voting
equipment to "possess the capacity to, or capacity to be easily modified so
as to, provide for ranked order voting and cumulative voting." Passed
NYS Assembly 6/17/03. Delivered to Senate, referred to Rules Committee
6/17/03. Session over; no further action taken.
Citizens for Instant Runoff Voting in
New York State (NYSIRV): press
release on its latest activities in New York.
Texas
Search the Texas State Legislature website to track
legislation.
SB
(135) Gives permission to local and county governments, as
well as school boards, to use instant runoff voting. There is also a provision
to fund voter education on preferential voting systems. Referred to State
Affairs Committee 1/29/03. No further action taken. Failed.
HB
(1362) Allows for alternative forms of voting,
including full representation, cumulative voting and instant runoff voting. Referred
to Elections Committee 3/03/03. Public hearing 4/23/03. Left pending in
committee, no further action taken. Failed.
HJR
(41) Would remove restrictions on types of voting methods
used in municipalities. Referred to Elections Committee 2/18/03.
Public hearing 4/23/03. Left pending in committee. Failed.
Vermont
Search the Vermont General Assembly website to track
legislation.
HB
(82) S
(22) Provides for the election of statewide and
federal offices by instant runoff voting. HB 82 referred to Local Government
Committee 1/28/03. S 22 referred to Government Operations Committee 1/28/03.
Carried over; no further action taken.
Support for IRV
is strong in Vermont.
Virginia
Search the Virginia General Assembly website to track
legislation.
HB
(2739) Provides for the election of
statewide and federal offices by IRV. Failed in committee
1/31/03.
SB
(872) Relates to the establishment of a Virginia
Redistricting Commission and provides standards for the state legislative and
congressional redistricting plans. Defeated in committee- no
longer pending, 1/21/03.
Scott
County Virginia Star: (VA) "Legislator's Proposal: Vote for a
first choice, and a second." January 29, 2003
Washington
Search the Washington State Legislature website to track
legislation.
HB
(2669)
Establishing a pilot project to examine the use of instant runoff voting for
nonpartisan offices. This bill is supported by the Vancouver City Council, the
Clark County Auditor, League of Women Voters and the Secretary of State. HB
2669 passed by House of Representatives 2/12/04 with a vote of 69-26. Placed on
second reading by Senate Rules Committee 3/1/04. Senate adjourned; bill killed.
HB
(1390)/SB
(5556) Provides for instant runoff voting in the election of
local nonpartisan offices. HB 1390 passed by
House of Representatives 3/13/03. SB 5556 reintroduced in Special Session
6/4/03. Carried over; no further action taken.
HB
(1925) /SB
(5444) Implements instant runoff voting for election to
statewide and federal offices. HB 1925 referred to State Government
Committee 2/17/03; reintroduced in Special Session 6/4/03. SB 5444 referred to
Government Operations & Elections Committee 1/27/03; reintroduced in Special
Session 6/4/03. Carried over; no further action taken.
Washington state
initiative for IRV launched: Instant
Runoff Washington has formed to collect signatures in 2004 for
action in 2005.
The Oregonian:
"Instant runoff bill advances. House-passed legislation that would make
Vancouver a test case for the new voting method clears a Senate committee."
February 26, 2004.
Vancouver Columbian: "Legislature:
Moeller pushing instant runoff bill." Senate to vote on
bill that would allow Vancouver to elect council members through instant runoff
voting. "Opinion
- In Our View: 1, 2, 3 Voting." Editorial advocates use
of instant runoff voting to elect Vanouver council members. February 14, 2004.
The
Olympian: (WA) "Instant runoff bill gets panel
hearing." If passed, Washington bill will establish
a pilot program for instant runoff voting in Vancouver nonpartisan elections.
January 27, 2004.
Vancouver
Columbian: (WA) "In our view: A better ballot?"
Editorial encourages Washington State lawmakers to give municipalities in
Washington the flexibility of considering instant runoff voting. March 22, 2003.
The Washington state House of Representatives has passed a bill allowing
certain local municipalities to use instant runoff voting. The story is followed
by the Vancouver
Columbian March 14, 2003), the Oregonian (March
14, 2003), and Tacoma
News Tribune (February 25, 2003).
Wisconsin
Search the Wisconsin State Legislature website to track
legislation.
AB
(911) Wisconsin legislation to allow the use of instant runoff
voting in local WI elections. Introduced 2/26/04. Referred to committee on
Campaigns and Elections 2/26/04. Failed 3/3/04.
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