Wisconsin Lawmakers Push Constitutional Ban On Ranked Choice Voting

Wisconsin lawmakers pushed back at the blue state trend of ranked choice voting. A pair of constitutional amendments were introduced in recent weeks with support throughout Republican ranks.

This ranked choice concept is nothing new in American politics, but it gained traction in recent years as a favorite ploy of Democrats to ensure their election success. Some refer to the system as “Keep Having Runoffs Until the Democrat Wins.”

Voters in this leftist-backed protocol choose a slate of candidates ranked based on preference. The result is a series of runoffs until one individual secures 50.1% of the votes.

Strong opposition emerged recently to this voting overhaul. Florida, Idaho, Massachusetts, Montana, South Dakota and Tennessee governments at various levels banned the procedure outright.

Several municipalities retracted their support for ranked choice voting after initially favoring the change.

Its backers include radical progressives who claim the system magically removes acrimony from the election process. They say it encourages more people to run for office and sparks greater electoral participation.

The first public hearing for the proposed dramatic change was held in December. The specific system under consideration in Wisconsin is called the final five.

If implemented, all candidates for either a U.S Senate or House seat would be on the same primary ballot regardless of party affiliation. The top five vote-getters would then move on to the general election.

The traditional system, of course, has Republicans and Democrats on separate ballots in party-specific primaries.

In the general election, voters would then rank the five candidates in order of preference. If a candidate secured a majority in the first round of voting, they win and the election is over.

That is not highly likely with five in the running.

Barring a first-round victory, the lowest chosen candidate would be dropped. Anyone who had that person as their first choice would have their vote switched to their second selection.

This continues until there is an outright winner.

Leftist Wisconsin lawmakers proposed such voting in each of the past two sessions, but it failed to whip up support. This marked the first time it achieved so much as a hearing, prompting the push for a constitutional amendment to outlaw the practice.