AJR 101

This constitutional amendment, proposed to the 2023 legislature on first

consideration, prohibits the use of ranked-choice voting in Wisconsin elections and

prohibits voting for candidates of more than one political party in partisan primaries

held in the state.

Ranked-choice voting

Ranked-choice voting is a voting method in which voters at an election are

permitted to indicate and order their preferences for all candidates whose names

appear on the ballot for the same office, rather than being required to vote for a single

candidate for that office. Typically, under ranked-choice voting, tabulation of the

votes then occurs in rounds, with each round dropping the candidate with the least

support until a single candidate garners a majority of the ranked votes cast.

Under the constitutional amendment, any election in Wisconsin utilizing

ranked-choice voting is invalid, and no individual may assume public office on the

basis of such an election.

Multiple-party partisan primary voting

The constitutional amendment additionally prohibits the use of a voting

method in Wisconsin partisan primaries, including recall and special primaries for

partisan office, in which voters may cast votes for candidates of more than one

political party or in which more than one candidate for each elective partisan office

from each political party may advance from the primary to the final election. Under

the constitutional amendment, any primary for a partisan office utilizing such a

voting method is invalid.

A constitutional amendment requires adoption by two successive legislatures,

and ratification by the people, before it can become effective.