Gov. Morissey Mum On Whether He Will Sign Bill Protecting West Virginia Elections From Ranked-Choice Voting
A bill prohibiting the use of ranked-choice voting (RCV) in West Virginia elections is on its way to Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s desk for signature. But the Republican governor is remaining mum on whether he’ll sign it into law.
Passed by the state House (87-9-4) on Friday, SB 490 stipulates that “[n]o state, county, or local elections office may use ranked choice voting or instant runoff voting to conduct an election or nomination of any candidate in this state for any local government, statewide, or federal elective office.” Any “existing or future ordinance” adopted by a local government promoting the use of such a system would be declared void under the measure.
The bill cleared the state Senate (31-2-1) last Tuesday.
Often referred to as “rigged-choice voting” by its critics, RCV is a system in which voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-choice votes in the first round of voting, the last-place finisher is eliminated, and his votes are reallocated to the voter’s second-choice candidate. This process continues until one candidate receives a majority of votes.
It’s unclear, however, whether Morrisey will sign SB 490 into law. When pressed on whether he intends to sign the bill, the GOP governor’s office did not respond to The Federalist’s request for comment.
[READ: After 2024 Victories, Republicans Aim To Send ‘Disastrous’ Ranked-Choice Voting Into Extinction]
As The Federalist previously reported, RCV has primarily been pushed by Democrats and has led to the Democrat victory of seats for which Republican candidates ultimately received more votes. It has also been shown to produce inaccurate election results and high rates of discarded ballots.
To further the system’s use throughout the country, RCV proponents have taken to weaponizing the ballot initiative process in recent elections.
In the 2024 contest, for example, pro-RCV measures were on the ballot in “red states” such as Idaho and Montana. Both initiatives — and several other such measures — were overwhelmingly defeated by voters.
It’s worth mentioning that multiple campaigns backing pro-RCV ballot causes have been flooded with out-of-state dark money.
In the case of Idaho, out-of-state groups with leftist ties collectively gave millions of dollars to the organization supporting the 2024 RCV ballot initiative. A similar case was also seen in Alaska, where a measure seeking to repeal the state’s RCV system was narrowly defeated by an organization heavily backed by dark money from the Lower 48.
If signed into law, SB 490 would make West Virginia the 12th state to prohibit the use of RCV in its elections, according to Ballotpedia.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
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