Tell Wisconsin State Senators to Vote NO on SB 528

The Wisconsin State Senate Committee on Shared Revenue, Elections and Consumer Protection is considering SB 528, a bill that would employ ranked choice voting (RCV) in Wisconsin’s elections for US Senators and Members of the US Congress. The bill’s language refers to ranked choice voting as “top five voting”, but do not be fooled. This bill IS ranked choice voting, and it is bad for Wisconsin’s elections.

• RCV makes voting harder and more complicated. One study found it would take a full minute longer to vote for each “final-five” race. That means voting will take longer, lines will be longer, mistakes will be more common, and ultimately people will be deterred from voting.
• RCV delays tabulation. Arlington, Virginia, was one of the last places in the state to report election results earlier this year. Alaska waited to reveal results for two weeks after Election Day. You cannot even begin tabulating until all the votes are in, processed, and counted, since the final results depend on the number of votes and the order of elimination.
• RCV turns elections into a black box. Results are confusing and complicated, with winners often losing the first-place vote. Hand recounts are rendered difficult or impossible in large races.
• Many places that try RCV ultimately repeal it. Arlington County, Virginia used it this year for a primary and then immediately canceled future plans to use it. Aspen, Colorado repealed it after one election. Half the cities in Utah that joined the RCV pilot project have withdrawn because it failed to deliver on its promise.

Please contact the Senators on this committee and tell them that you do not want ranked choice voting in Wisconsin’s elections. Tell them to vote against SB 528.