Resolution Opposing Ranked-Choice Voting

WHEREAS, American elections are traditionally decided on the "one-man, one vote" principle, by which each voter chooses one candidate, and the candidate who secures the most votes wins

WHEREAS, State Question No. 3 would change Articles 5 and 15 of Nevada's Constitution for U.S. Congress, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Controller, Attorney General, and State Legislator elections, establishing an open primary and a ranked-choice voting general election;

 WHEREAS, In a ranked-choice voting (RCV) system, voters rank candidates in order of preference, and if one candidate does not get over 50 percent of the total first-choice votes in the general election, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and each voter who had ranked the now-eliminated as their first choice, has their single vote transferred to their next-highest choice candidate; and this tabulation process repeats until one candidate with more than 50 percent support is determined as the winner;

WHEREAS, Because instructions for RCV ballots are complicated and often confuse voters, error rates for RCV elections are higher than those of traditional elections;

WHEREAS, For a voter's voice to fully count in every round of an RCV

election, the voter must rank (i.e., effectively vote for) all candidates on the ballot, even those the voter may oppose; 

WHEREAS, RCV elections have lower voter turnout rates than traditional elections;

WHEREAS, Determining the winners of RCV elections can take days or weeks post-election day; and

WHEREAS, The provisions that require that general elections for certain partisan offices specified within the Initiative be conducted using a ranked-choice ballot will increase costs for the state and local governments, beginning with the general election that would be held in November 2026, if the Initiative is approved by voters;

RESOLVED, that the Nevada Federation of Republican Women pledges to actively oppose the adoption of RCV that would eliminate partisan primaries, establish an open top-five primary election, and establish a RCV general election for U.S. Congress, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Controller, Attorney General, and State Legislator elections; and

 RESOLVED, that the Nevada Federation of Republican Women pledges to actively oppose the adoption of RCV in Nevada and nation-wide.

Adopted at the Nevada Federation of Republican Women Spring Board Meeting Las Vegas, Nevada, April 13, 2024