House bill NO. 598
INTRODUCED
BY L. Hellegaard, J. Read, S. Gunderson, B. Usher, T. Moore, B. Phalen, F.
Nave, L. Reksten, S. Kerns, S. Gist, J. Schillinger, M. Malone, R. Marshall, L.
Deming, J. Bergstrom, P. Green, Z. Wirth, P. Fielder, B. Mitchell, L.
Sheldon-Galloway
By Request of the ****
A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT PROHIBITING THE USE OF A RANKED-CHOICE VOTING METHOD TO ELECT OR NOMINATE A CANDIDATE FOR LOCAL, STATE, OR FEDERAL OFFICES; and providing an immediate effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
Section 1. Prohibition on ranked-choice voting methods -- definition. (1) An election conducted under Title 13 or under Title 20 may not use a ranked-choice voting method to determine the election or nomination of a candidate to a local, state, or federal office.
(2) For the purposes of this section, "ranked-choice voting method" means a voting method that allows voters to rank candidates for an office in order of preference and has ballots cast to be tabulated in multiple rounds following the elimination of a candidate until one candidate reaches a majority of the votes.
Section 2. Codification instruction. [Section 1] is intended to be codified as an integral part of Title 13, chapter 1, part 1, and the provisions of Title 13, chapter 1, part 1, apply to [section 1].
Section 3. Effective date. [This act] is effective on passage and approval.