WA HB1448

Counties, cities, towns, school districts, fire districts, and port districts may adopt ranked choice voting for local elections, with implementation required within two years of adoption and Secretary of State rules due by May 1, 2026

Single-winner contests use instant runoff voting with a primary to narrow candidates to five; multiwinner contests use single transferable vote method with no primary required

Voters must be allowed to rank at least five candidates per office, and ballots count regardless of how many candidates are ranked; skipped rankings are handled by counting the next valid ranking

Jurisdictions adopting ranked choice voting must conduct voter education campaigns including translated materials, and all implementation costs (equipment, training, outreach) are apportioned to the jurisdiction using the system rather than the county

A pilot program supports voters with developmental disabilities during Seattle's ranked choice voting implementation, with a report due to the legislature by December 31, 2027