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New Hampshire Considers Ranked Choice Voting for Primary

Lauren Chooljian / NHPR

 

New Hampshire voters wouldn't have to pick just one candidate in the state's first-in-the-nation presidential primary next year if lawmakers pass a bill to create a ranked-choice voting system.

Maine became the first state to conduct a federal general election using ranked-choice voting in November, and now several other states are considering the same. The system allows voters to rank candidates from first to last on their ballots. If no candidate wins a majority, last-place candidates are eliminated and their votes are reallocated.

State Rep. Ellen Read, a Democrat from Newmarket, is sponsoring a bill to implement such a system in New Hampshire.  She told the House Election Law Committee on Wednesday that the current system leaves too many people feeling like their votes don't count.

 

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