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A PA judge allows Elon Musk's $1 million voter giveaway; All eyes on AZ this Election Day, but experts warn of harmful misinformation; To call or not to call? The election night question; Election Day raises new fears over Comstock Act, reproductive rights.

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Philadelphia's District Attorney says the city is prepared for any election violence, doctors advise about how to handle Election Stress Disorder, and Oregon has a high number of women in government.

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A Cambodian poultry farmer who lost his livelihood could be a hero for others, rural Montanans are anxiously awaiting a court ruling over a climate lawsuit brought by young people, and Northeast states say more housing for working families could boost jobs.

WA Bill Would Let Voters Rank Preferred Presidential Primary Candidates

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Tuesday, February 14, 2023   

Supporters of ranked choice voting say the system could improve Washington state's presidential primary elections. A bill in Olympia would create a ranked system in which candidates are ranked by a voter's preference.

Stephanie Houghton, managing director of FairVote Washington, said the measure, which her group supports, would alleviate a problem caused when voters are asked to vote early, including in primaries.

"Unfortunately, if you did that in the 2020 primary, you were punished, possibly, because your vote was cast for someone who then dropped out," Houghton said. "There are no re-dos."

Houghton said voters in the 2020 Democratic primary later expressed regret that their vote did not matter. Washington state's Democratic and Republican primaries were in March in 2020, more than a month after the Iowa caucuses, the first contest in the country. In 2022, Seattle voters approved a measure to bring ranked choice voting to city primary elections.

Houghton said after the primaries, the ranked choice ballots would be in the hands of the parties to decide what to do with them, and added as it stands now, people have to strategize about which candidate is going to be viable by the time the primary gets to their state.

"Instead of just saying, 'My favorite candidate is blank. I'm going to vote for that person. If they don't make the threshold set by the party, I would like my vote to go toward this second person.' Same for the third," she said.

She added the state would join a host of other states that used ranked choice voting in primaries and caucuses in 2020, including Alaska, Hawaii, Kansas and Wyoming. Maine is joining those states in 2024. The bill would have to be passed by the House State Government and Tribal Relations committee by Friday to stay in play this legislative session.


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