Senate Bill 529 Summary

• Allows municipalities and counties to adopt ranked choice voting for all their elected offices through ordinance, enabling voters to rank candidates by preference when three or more candidates compete for an office.

• Establishes a voter ranking system where voters assign #1, #2, #3, and lower rankings to candidates, with #1 rankings counted as automatic votes and lower rankings becoming votes when higher-ranked candidates are eliminated.

• Implements a tabulation process that eliminates the last-place candidate after each stage and redistributes their voters' next rankings until a candidate achieves a majority of votes or only the required number of candidates remain.

• Updates ballot design, voting system requirements, and election procedures across paper ballots, optical scan ballots, and electronic voting systems to accommodate ranked choice voting displays and counting mechanisms.

• Makes conforming changes throughout Indiana election code regarding vote tabulation, canvassing, recounts, and related election administration procedures to support ranked choice voting implementation.