Wisconsin Legislators Introduce Ranked-Choice Voting Bill

MADISON, WI — Ranked-choice voting may soon come to Wisconsin after a bipartisan bill for its implementation was introduced in the state Legislature on Wednesday, according to a report from the Wisconsin State Journal.

If enacted, the bill would overhaul the state's voting system for federal primary elections by doing away with partisan ballots where registered Democrats and Republicans vote for only their party’s candidates in Congressional races. Instead, candidates would appear on a single ballot together and voters would be able to choose their favorite, according to the WSJ.

The top five candidates who garner the most votes would then move on to the general election where voters will be able to rank them in order of preference.

"Unfortunately, we’re stuck with a broken system that discourages collaboration and oftentimes rewards the candidates who are most divisive," Jeff Smith, a Democrat state senator, said. “We need to reform this system so that our state’s leaders prioritize our shared values as Wisconsinites over Party allegiance.”

Read more about the ranked-choice voting bill by visiting the State Journal’s website.