Everything you need to know about ranked-choice voting in one spot. Click to learn more!

Electoral systems legislation in the United States, 2018

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
2019 →
← 2017
Election Policy Logo.png
Electoral system
Electoral systems by state
Ranked-choice voting (RCV)
Academic studies on RCV
Election dates
Election agencies
Election terms
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
Public Policy Logo-one line.png

The term electoral system can refer to the method by which elections are conducted (e.g., whether representatives are elected from single-member versus multi-member districts) or the method by which votes are tallied to determine the outcome of an election (e.g., plurality systems, majority systems, etc.). In the United States, most states utilize single-member districts for federal (non-presidential) and state elections.[1][2][3]

This article presents information about the state legislation relevant to electoral systems that was considered in 2018. Information about relevant state and local ballot measures proposed for the 2018 ballot is also provided. See the map and table below for further state-specific details.

Legislation

The map below provides the number of electoral systems bills that were considered in each state in 2018. Hover over a state to see the exact number of bills. A darker shade of red indicates a greater number of relevant bills. In those states shaded in white, relevant bills were not considered. For state-specific details, click a state in the map below or select a state from the drop-down menu beneath the map. On doing so, a list of state legislation will display, including information about bill status and links to full text. This information is provided by BillTrack50.com. To return to the map, click "Back" in the upper righthand corner of the legislation list.

See below for a complete list of electoral systems bills. To learn more about a particular bill, click its title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Legislation analysis

In 2018, we tracked 105 bills pertaining to electoral systems policy, addressing such issues as ranked-choice voting and approval voting. Of these 105 bills, 10 were enacted into law.

  • Examples of enacted bills:
    • Connecticut HB05421: Signed into law on May 24, 2018, HB05421 entered Connecticut into the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Under the compact, participating states agree to allocate their presidential electors to the winner of the national popular vote. The compact would not take effect until participating states possess a majority of electoral college votes (270).
    • Maine LD1646: Enacted on October 23, 2017, LD1646 suspended implementation of ranked-choice voting pending approval of a constitutional amendment allowing for its use. LD1646 was ultimately repealed as a result of a veto referendum approved by voters on June 12, 2018.

Ballot measures

The term ballot measures describes all questions or issues that appear on election ballots for voters to approve or reject. Ballot measures may apply to state and local jurisdictions (including cities, counties, special districts, etc.). Initiatives permit citizens to propose (or initiate) statutes or constitutional amendments via petition. Referenda allow citizens to refer statutes passed by legislatures to the ballot for enactment or repeal by voters. Legislative referrals appear on voters' ballots as a result of actions taken by legislatures; these can include state statutes, constitutional amendments, and bond issues.

The sections below list ballot measures related to electoral systems and campaign laws in 2018. These are proposed measures that may or may not have made the ballot. For additional information about the status of these measures, click the links below.

2018

Ballotpedia tracked the following ballot measure(s) pertaining to electoral systems in 2018.

  1. Arizona National Popular Vote Interstate Agreement Initiative (2018)
  2. California National Popular Vote for President Initiative (2018)
  3. Missouri Nonpartisan Candidates and Runoff Elections Initiative (2018)
  4. Missouri National Popular Vote Interstate Agreement Initiative (2018)
  5. Missouri Proportional Representation in State Legislature Initiative (2018)
  6. Maine National Popular Vote Interstate Compact Initiative (2018)
  7. Missouri Ranked-Choice Voting for State Executives and U.S. Senate Initiative (2018)
  8. Washington Local Term Limits, District Elections, and Council Size Initiative (2018)

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Presidential contests are decided not by popular vote but by the Electoral College. The Electoral College is discussed in greater detail in this article. Some state legislatures and local government entities conduct elections from multi-member districts in which a number of representatives are elected from the same electoral district. This is a form of proportional representation.
  2. ↑ Encyclopædia Brittanica, "Electoral System," accessed July 4, 2017
  3. ↑ FairVote, "Electoral Systems," accessed July 4, 2017
Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Electoral_systems_legislation_in_the_United_States,_2018&oldid=10275437"