Spells out rules and regulations for the presidential preference primary elections, and would also establish rules for ranked choice voting tabulation and results reporting by the secretary of state.

Rhode Island Presidential Primary & Ranked Choice Voting Bill

This bill sets out the rules for how Rhode Island runs its presidential preference primary elections — the contests where voters in each party express which presidential candidate they prefer. It covers the procedures and regulations that govern how these primaries are organized and conducted, bringing clearer structure to the process.

In addition to the standard primary rules, the bill would introduce guidelines specifically for ranked choice voting (RCV) in these elections. Ranked choice voting is a method where voters rank candidates in order of preference (1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice, etc.) rather than simply picking one candidate. If no candidate wins a majority outright, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and those voters' second choices are counted instead — this process continues until someone reaches a majority. The bill directs the Secretary of State to establish clear procedures for how these rankings are tallied and how the results are reported to the public.

This bill primarily affects Rhode Island voters who participate in presidential primaries, as well as election administrators — particularly the Secretary of State's office — who would be responsible for carrying out the new tabulation and reporting requirements. Political parties holding primaries in Rhode Island would also be impacted. The bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process, having been introduced and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for review.