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Prohibits states from using ranked‑choice voting in elections for Federal office beginning with elections held in 2026 and any year after. The change amends the Help America Vote Act to add a new provision that bans ranked‑choice voting for federal contests, updates a cross‑reference in the Act’s enforcement clause, and adjusts section numbering and the table of contents. The amendment applies only to federal elections (those for federal offices) and does not itself provide funding or authorize new programs; it changes what voting methods states may use for federal contests and takes effect for elections held in 2026 and subsequent years.
Amends Title III of the Help America Vote Act (52 U.S.C. 21081 et seq.) by redesignating existing sections 305 and 306 as 306 and 307 and inserting a new section 305 that prohibits States from using ranked choice voting in Federal elections.
Amends section 401 of the Help America Vote Act (52 U.S.C. 21111) to update its list of enforceable sections to include the newly added section 305.
Redesignate current sections 305 and 306 of Title III of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 as sections 306 and 307.
Insert new section 305 into Title III of the Help America Vote Act stating: “A State may not carry out any election for Federal office using a system of ranked choice voting under which each voter ranks the candidates for the office in the order of the voter’s preference.”
Amend section 401 of the Act (52 U.S.C. 21111) by striking “and 304” and inserting “304, and 305” to include the new section in existing enforcement provisions.
Make clerical amendments to the Act’s table of contents by redesignating the items relating to sections 305 and 306 as relating to sections 306 and 307, and inserting a new item for section 305 after the item for section 304.
Specify that this Act and the amendments made by this Act apply with respect to elections held during 2026 or any succeeding year.
Who is affected and how:
State governments and state election officials: Directly affected because they must ensure that federal contests are not conducted using ranked‑choice voting starting with elections held in 2026. States that previously used or planned to use RCV for federal offices will need to change statutes, administrative rules, ballot formats, and voting equipment configurations for federal contests.
Local governments and local election administrators: Affected operationally because ballots and election workflows must separate federal contests (now prohibited from using RCV) from any permissible RCV used in non‑federal contests. This can require updating ballot layout, vote tabulation procedures, voter instructions, and testing of election systems.
Voters (U.S. citizens who vote in federal elections): Voters in jurisdictions that have used or planned RCV for federal contests will no longer be able to cast ranked ballots in federal races; ballots for federal offices will revert to the permitted voting methods under state law excluding RCV.
Candidates and political parties: Candidates and parties whose campaigns relied on RCV dynamics (e.g., vote transfers, multi‑winner RCV systems) will face different strategic environments in federal contests; minor‑party and independent candidates may be affected by return to plurality or other non‑ranked systems.
Election technology vendors and service providers: May incur costs to change or reconfigure software/firmware and ballot‑counting processes to remove or disable RCV functionality for federal contests.
Courts and legal system: Potential for litigation from states, localities, or private parties challenging the federal prohibition on grounds such as federalism or other constitutional arguments; litigation could affect timing and enforcement.
Overall impact: The amendment is narrowly focused on the voting method used in federal contests. It does not allocate funds or create new federal programs but does require administrative changes by state and local election authorities and could generate legal and political conflict over state election authority and voters’ choice of voting methods.
Expand sections to see detailed analysis
Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
Introduced April 28, 2025 by Abraham J. Hamadeh · Last progress April 28, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
Introduced in House