The bill amends Chapter 17-12.1 of the General Laws, which governs the process for primaries and the election of delegates to national conventions, as well as the presidential preference primary. It introduces ranked-choice voting for the presidential preference primary, allowing voters to rank up to five candidates, including the option to rank "uncommitted." The bill specifies that delegate lists must be grouped by the presidential nominee who approved the delegate's candidacy, and it outlines the process for candidates to declare their intention to run, requiring at least one thousand signatures from eligible voters. The bill also details the procedures for candidate withdrawal and the handling of their delegates, including the ability for candidates to become inactive in the tabulation process. Insertions clarify new provisions, while deletions remove outdated language.

Additionally, the bill sets forth the procedures for tabulating votes, reporting results, and conducting post-election audits, including risk-limiting audits. It defines terms relevant to ranked-choice voting and recounts, and it mandates the release of unofficial preliminary results and official final results with detailed information. The secretary of state is given the authority to promulgate necessary rules for implementation, ensuring compatibility with fusion voting. The bill also specifies that risk-limiting audits, which are manual tallies to confirm electoral outcomes, should not begin until any recounts are concluded. The results of audits must be published within 48 hours, and the state board is responsible for creating rules to implement these procedures. The act is effective immediately upon passage.

Statutes affected:
2425: 17-19-37.4