Ranked Choice Voting Garners Broad Support in Connecticut, Including in Its Legislature

Landscape photo of a boat on the Connecticut river.
Photo by Rusty Watson on Unsplash
Created: 25 Mar, 2025
2 min read

HARTFORD, Conn. – The Connecticut General Assembly’s Government Administration and Elections (GAE) Committee held a public hearing Monday on SB 1536, a bill to implement Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in Connecticut.

The legislation follows the recommendations of Governor Lamont’s Working Group on Ranked Choice Voting

The RCV Working Group, co-chaired by Senator Tony Hwang (R-Fairfield) and Senator Catherine Osten (D-Sprague), held public meetings and a hearing in 2024 to study RCV and its benefits. Their final recommendations included allowing it in presidential preference primaries and party primaries.

These recommendations are included in SB 1536. 

If adopted, RCV will be added to the state's most critical elections as most races in Connecticut are effectively decided in the primaries due to many districts being safe for one party or the other. However, it is worth noting that this means RCV will only be available to registered Republicans and Democrats.

Connecticut uses closed partisan primaries, meaning participation is conditioned on being a member of one of the two major political parties. The parties could decide to allow unaffiliated voters to participate, but these taxpayer-funded elections are not available to all voters.

The working group also recommended that local municipalities be allowed the option to use RCV in single-winner races if they choose to adopt it.

“This bill is an important step toward modernizing our elections and giving Connecticut voters a stronger voice," said CT Voters First Campaign Director Brendan Finely in a news release. 

IVP Donate

"RCV has been shown to increase participation, reduce negative campaigning, and ensure that winners have broad voter support—bringing Connecticut in line with other states that have adopted these commonsense reforms.”

SB 1536 is supported by a large statewide coalition, including many Democrats, Republicans, and independents in the legislature, as well as other public officials like Hartford City Council President Shirley Surgeon, Democratic Town Chair Colin Hosten, and Republican Town Clerk Rick McQuaid.

State organizations involved include Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, the CT League of Conservation Voters, the Connecticut Independent Party, veterans groups, and labor organizations -- highlighting the wide range of support for RCV reform. 

Monday’s committee hearing on SB 1536 provided voters the opportunity to express their views on RCV in Connecticut. If adopted, Connecticut would become the third state to use the reform in at least some taxpayer-funded elections and would join dozens of cities across the US.

In this article

Related articles

Vote sticker on a pole.
Majority Rules: The Film Capturing America’s Most Radical Election Reform
Alaskans made history in 2020 when they passed the first-in-the-nation election system that not only...
19 May, 2025
-
3 min read
Boston
Boston City Council Backs Ranked Choice Voting Home Rule Petition in 8–4 Vote
BOSTON, MASS. — On May 14, the Boston City Council voted 8–4 in favor of a allo...
14 May, 2025
-
3 min read
Half of image shows hand holding an I voted sticker. The other half shows Chula Vista City Hall.
Chula Vista Voters Want More Choice -- Will the City Council Listen?
CHULA VISTA, CALIF. - Voters in Chula Vista are signaling strong support for election reform. A rece...
14 May, 2025
-
2 min read

Latest articles

A ballot box with a ballot sticking out in front of a New Mexico flag backrrop.
Opening the Door: How New Mexico Reformed Its Primary Elections and What Others Can Learn
More than 330,000 independent voters will have access to state-administered primary elections in future New Mexico elections after the legislature passed SB 16 in March to end the state’s use of closed primaries....
29 May, 2025
-
5 min read
Dean Phillips
Dean Phillips Breaks Ranks: A Firsthand Rejection of the Duopoly That Controls American Democracy
In the shadow of a damning new campaign exposé, the only elected Democrat to challenge President Biden in 2024 speaks out about what really happened and what must change....
29 May, 2025
-
5 min read
Gavel on judge's desk.
Lawsuit Challenges Independent Voter Suppression under Closed Primaries in Maryland
A new lawsuit filed Wednesday by the Open Primaries Education Fund along with the law firm, Angor, Rapaport, & Skainy (DATRS), asserts that Maryland is violating its own constitution and the voting rights of nearly 1 million independent voters in the state by denying them access to taxpayer-funded primary elections....
28 May, 2025
-
3 min read