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MA S531

Bill

Status

Introduced

2/27/2025

Primary Sponsor

Rebecca Rausch

Click for details

Origin

Senate

194th General Court

AI Summary

  • Massachusetts cities and towns may adopt ranked choice voting (RCV) for municipal elections through ballot measure, ordinance/by-law, or charter amendment
  • Voters would rank candidates in order of preference, with elections tabulated in rounds using the single transferable vote method for both single-winner and multi-winner races
  • Municipal ordinances must specify threshold calculations, candidate elimination procedures, vote transfers, tie resolution, and handling of mismarked ballots
  • Preliminary elections for local offices would be eliminated in municipalities that adopt RCV
  • Adopting municipalities must conduct voter education campaigns, and may revert to prior voting methods after a minimum 4-year waiting period

Legislative Description

Providing a local option for ranked choice voting in municipal elections

Last Action

Accompanied a new draft, see S2911

1/15/2026

Committee Referrals

Election Laws2/27/2025

Full Bill Text

No bill text available