This bill establishes a system of ranked choice voting for local elections, allowing municipalities to adopt this method through a charter amendment approved by their voters. The bill introduces a new chapter, CHAPTER 31, to Title 17 of the General Laws, detailing definitions, applications, and procedures for implementing ranked choice voting.

Key provisions include definitions for terms such as "active candidate," "inactive ballot," "overvote," and "ranking." The bill outlines the application of ranked choice voting, permitting local jurisdictions to conduct primary, general, or special elections using this method, provided all municipalities involved adopt ranked choice voting. It specifies that ballots must allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference and establishes rules for round-by-round tabulation for both single-winner and multi-winner elections.

The bill mandates that the state board of elections promulgate rules and regulations necessary for implementation, including a process for releasing unofficial preliminary results, official final results, and establishing voter education and election official training programs. The act is set to take effect on January 1, 2027.