The bill amends Chapter 17-12.1 of the General Laws to implement ranked choice voting for presidential preference primaries in Rhode Island. This change allows voters to rank their candidate preferences and specifies that if a party does not provide clear instructions for delegate allocation, the primary will default to a statewide winner-take-all system. The bill outlines the process for candidates to notify the Secretary of State of their candidacy, the requirements for petition papers, and the procedures for candidate withdrawal, including the need for candidates to file a signed letter of withdrawal and an affidavit to be treated as inactive in the tabulation.

Additionally, the legislation introduces definitions for terms related to the voting process, such as "active candidate," "highest-ranked active candidate," and "threshold for receiving delegates." It details the recount process for close vote margins, specifying that a recount will be conducted 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 emphasizes transparency by requiring reports on the number and percentage of votes each candidate receives, as well as the number of inactive ballots. The act will take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
7788: 17-19-37.4