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Connecticut legislators heard public testimony on ranked-choice voting on Monday.
There are four bills introduced this session that would implement ranked-choice voting in the state on various elections: HB 5133, HB 5087, HB 5701, and SB 389.
Christopher Tohir, legal and policy analyst at Yankee Institute, said his organization opposes the bill.
“Many voters — busy with jobs, families, and other responsibilities — lack detailed knowledge about candidates. A RCV system amplifies this problem,” Tohir said.
Tohir also argued that ranked-choice voting has more room for votes not being counted due to the exhausted ballots phenomenon.
Teran Loeppke, organizer of Common Cause in Connecticut, supported the legislation. He said that ranked-choice voting motivates “historically disenfranchised voters to participate in American democracy.”
Loeppke also said that choose-one elections can cause harm by contributing to “toxic campaign cycles” and advancing a candidate in an election that does not have majority support.
Read more: CT officials mull ranked-choice voting this session
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