NY A03608

State Board of Elections shall select up to 10 local governments in 2026 and up to 10 in 2027 to conduct elections using ranked choice voting, with consideration for population diversity, regional location, and demographic composition.

Ranked choice voting allows voters to rank candidates by preference; if no candidate wins a majority on first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and those votes transferred to voters' next choices until someone achieves a majority.

County boards of elections and selected local governments must approve participation in the pilot program.

State Board of Elections must issue a report with findings and recommendations to the state legislature by April 1, 2028.

Pilot program provisions expire and are repealed on December 31, 2028; ballots must include clear instructions on ranking candidates, and boards of elections must conduct voter education campaigns.