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GA HB1085

Bill

Status

Introduced

1/27/2022

Primary Sponsor

Joseph Gullett

Click for details

Origin

House of Representatives

2021-2022 Regular Session

AI Summary

  • Georgia municipalities may adopt instant runoff voting (ranked-choice voting) for governing authority elections by passing an ordinance at least 180 days before the election in which it will be used
  • Voters rank candidates by preference; votes are counted in rounds, with the last-place candidate eliminated each round and their votes redistributed to voters' next-ranked choices until a winner emerges from two or fewer remaining candidates
  • Instant runoff voting applies only to contests with more than two candidates; ties among last-place candidates are decided by lot, while ties in the final round trigger a special election
  • Municipalities may modify the process by ordinance adopted at least 90 days before an election, including limiting voter rankings to no fewer than five or permitting batch elimination of multiple candidates who are mathematically impossible to elect
  • The Secretary of State or State Election Board may adopt rules governing ballot design, voting procedures, and recounts for instant runoff voting elections, with an effective date of January 1, 2023

Legislative Description

Elections; option for municipalities to adopt and use instant runoff voting; provide

Last Action

House Committee Favorably Reported

2/24/2022

Committee Referrals

Governmental Affairs2/1/2022

Full Bill Text

No bill text available