On May 28, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landy (R) signed SB 101 into law banning ranked-choice voting (RCV) in the state. Louisiana is the fifth state to ban RCV in 2024 and 10th to do so overall. All 10 states to ban RCV have done so with a Republican controlled legislature. 

The new law states: “A ranked-choice voting or instant runoff voting method shall not be used in determining the election or nomination of any candidate to any local, state, or federal elective office in this state.” The legislation makes an exception for military and overseas voters who use ranked ballots for general elections in which there may be a runoff. 

SB 101 passed the Louisiana House of Representatives 73-23 on May 15, with all Republicans voting for passage and all but three Democrats voting against. It then passed the Louisiana Senate 29-8 on May 20 with all Republicans voting to pass the bill and all but one Democrat voting against. 

Gov. Landry signed the bill into law on May 28 and the new law took effect immediately.

In a committee hearing, the bill’s sponsor Sen. Blake Miguez (R) said, “Ranked-choice voting guarantees that ballots are thrown in the trash.” Sen. Jay Lunea (D), an opponent of the bill, pointed out that Louisiana does not currently use RCV, and that the bill would first need to add definitions of the voting system before banning their use. He asked Miguez: “Do you have any other bills that define things that we don’t do in Louisiana? I’m just curious how many different things are there in Louisiana that we don’t do that we need to define.” 

Of the 10 states that have banned RCV, none used RCV at the time. Local jurisdictions in two of the states, Florida and Tennessee, had authorized the use of RCV but were not using the system at the time lawmakers outlawed it. 

Proponents of RCV argue that the electoral system reduces the cost of runoff elections, increases civility, and creates more representative electoral outcomes. Opponents of RCV argue that the system is too opaque, confuses voters, and leads to wasted votes. For more arguments for and against RCV, click here.

In November, voters in at least five states will decide on ballot measures related to RCV. In Alaska, voters will consider repealing the use of RCV for statewide and legislative elections, while in Missouri voters will decide whether to ban RCV which is not currently in use in the state. In Nevada, Oregon, and Colorado, voters will decide whether to adopt RCV for certain elections.