The bill amends Chapter 17-12.1 of the General Laws in Rhode Island to implement ranked choice voting for presidential preference primaries. This change allows voters to rank their candidate preferences and specifies that if a political party does not provide clear instructions for delegate tabulation, the primary will default to a statewide winner-take-all method. The bill outlines the process for candidates to notify the Secretary of State of their candidacy, the requirements for candidate withdrawals, and the procedures for handling withdrawn candidates.

Additionally, the legislation introduces definitions for key terms related to the voting process, including "active candidate," "highest-ranked active candidate," and "threshold for receiving delegates." It establishes provisions for recounts in close elections, specifically when there is a two hundred (200) or fewer vote difference between candidates.

The bill mandates the Secretary of State to develop rules for the timely release of unofficial preliminary results, including round-by-round results and ballot-level ranking data in a machine-readable format. It requires consultations with local election officials and party representatives during the rule-making process to ensure transparency.

The act will take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
5276: 17-19-37.4