Welcome to the Thursday, June 5, Brew. 

By: Briana Ryan

Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

1. Iowa becomes the sixth state to ban ranked-choice voting this year
2. President Donald Trump issued 14 executive orders in May
3. A look at Texas’ June 7 runoff elections

Iowa becomes the sixth state to ban ranked-choice voting this year

On June 2, Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed House File 954 (HF 954), making Iowa the sixth state to ban ranked-choice voting (RCV) this year. 

The new law says: “An election in this state shall not be conducted using ranked choice voting or instant runoff voting.”

In addition to banning RCV, the bill also makes other changes to Iowa’s election laws, including:

• Authorizing the use of electronic poll books
• Requiring the state department of transportation to share a list with the state registrar of individuals who have submitted documentation indicating that they are not a U.S. citizen
• Requiring the counting of absentee ballots to begin no later than 9 a.m. on Election Day

To view a full list of changes, click here.

The Iowa House of Representatives approved the bill 65-31, and the Iowa Senate approved it 32-15. No Democrats in either chamber voted for the bill, and one Republican in the state Senate voted against it.

State Sen. Ken Rozenboom (R), who supported the bill, said, “[RCV] makes the votes harder to count and it’s much harder to ensure a transparent and accountable democratic process. And in 2025 with the heightened expectations and concerns about the voting process, I think this is an excellent proposal.”

State Sen. Sarah Trone Garriot (D), who opposed the bill, said, “Ranked-choice voting gives the people what they want: more choices. … It is possible to have multiple candidates, and no one is a spoiler. Instead, we see increased voter participation and much higher voter satisfaction because all candidates are considered and all the votes count. The winner who comes out on top actually represents the will of the people.”

In addition to Iowa, five other states—Arkansas, Kansas, North Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming—have banned RCV this year. This year is now tied with 2024 for the most bans adopted in a single year. 

In total, 17 states have banned RCV. Florida and Tennessee were the first to do so in 2022. All but two of the 17 states with bans adopted them with a Republican trifecta in control of state government. The other two states—Kansas and Kentucky—adopted bans with divided state governments. Both states adopted them with a Republican-controlled state legislature and a Democratic governor. Kansas and Kentucky are also the only states where one party has a veto-proof majority in the legislature, and the other holds the governor’s office.

No bill authorizing a statewide use of RCV has passed in any state since Hawaii adopted RCV for certain elections in 2022. 

At the local level, the Boston City Council recently passed a measure that would make Boston the ninth of the country’s largest 100 cities to use RCV for their city elections if the Massachusetts General Court and city voters approve it. Check out our coverage of this measure in the May 22 Daily Brew.

The eight cities that use or are scheduled to use RCV are: 

• Oakland, California
• San Francisco, California
• Washington, D.C.
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
• St. Paul, Minnesota
• New York, New York
• Portland, Oregon
• Seattle, Washington

D.C. was the most recent major city to opt for the system when voters approved Initiative 83 73% to 27% in 2024. Portland was the most recent to implement RCV, using it for city elections for the first time in 2024 after voters approved Measure 26-228 58% to 42% in 2022.

Click here to read more about election laws and legislation in Iowa. You can also check out more about RCV here.

President Donald Trump issued 14 executive orders in May

President Donald Trump (R) issued 14 executive orders in May, bringing his total to 157. 

In May, Trump also signed fewer executive orders than in any other month in his second presidential term. He issued 46 executive orders in January 2025, more than any other month of his second presidential term.

Through the end of May, Trump issued the 11th-most executive orders among all U.S. presidents, with 377 orders across his two terms in office. 

Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) issued the most executive orders of all U.S. presidents, with 3,721 during his time in office. William Henry Harrison (Whig) issued the fewest, having issued none during his one month in office. Three presidents issued only one executive order each: James Madison (Democratic-Republican), James Monroe (Democratic-Republican), and John Adams (Federalist). 

Click here to view the titles and text of each order he issued in May.

A look at Texas’ June 7 runoff elections

On June 7—yes, a Saturday—Texas voters will head to the polls to decide on several runoffs in local elections.

Texas holds local elections twice per year, in May or November, although local law largely determines the exact date. This year, voters decided on many races on May 3. However, because certain offices require a majority vote, voters will now decide on some races in runoffs on June 7. 

For those offices, if no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters from the general election advanced to a runoff election.

One of the races that we’re watching is the runoff for mayor of San Antonio. Twenty-seven candidates ran in the general election. Gina Ortiz Jones and Rolando Pablos advanced from the general election after receiving 27% and 17% of the vote, respectively.

Although San Antonio’s mayoral elections are officially nonpartisan, Ortiz Jones is affiliated with the Democratic Party, and Pablos identified himself as a conservative.

Incumbent Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who is affiliated with the Democratic Party, is term-limited. As a result, the June 7 election was the city’s first in 16 years without an incumbent on the ballot.
Texas is one of 26 states where we are providing comprehensive coverage of all the elections on the ballot. Click here to view a list of other states we’re covering. For more information on our local election coverage in Texas this year, click here.