2023-11-07-AC -STM1-rpt - Laserfiche WebLink

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STM 2023-1 APPROPRIATION COXMTTEE 31 OCTOBER 2023 RCV. This motion is based on Concord's home rule petition, which was reported out favorably by the Joint Committee on Election Laws in 2022. The Committee's opinion is strongly divided, with four members recommending disapproval, three in favor, and one abstaining. Objections to the motion largely focus on the lack of a perceived need for ranked choice voting in local elections, rather than the minor financial impact. There have been very few Town elections, if any to date, in which the adoption of RCV would have made a difference, and any potential benefit of changing the status quo would be outweighed by the additional complexity and expense. One member is concerned that the proposed special act does not condition the adoption of RCV on a town-wide referendum and believes that voters themselves, not Town Meeting, should be the final arbiters as to how they wish to vote. Finally, one member was disappointed that the motion now excludes Town Meeting Member elections. The three members recommending approval all agree that RCV is a significant improvement over plurality voting, and that adopting RCV for town-wide elections now would prepare voters in the event that RCV is adopted for statewide elections under a possible ballot choice referendum in 2026. 8