More often than not, I tend to look left when everyone else is looking right.That’s not to say I ignore what’s generating buzz—I pay attention. But experience has taught me that there’s often something worth exploring where people aren’t necessarily looking. That mindset led me to S.B. 490, a bill that seeks to prohibit ranked-choice voting (RCV) in West Virginia elections.
Maybe you haven’t given much thought to ranked-choice voting. Let’s consider a simplified version of West Virginia’s last Republican gubernatorial primary as an example. Imagine voters had a choice among four candidates: Patrick Morrisey, Moore Capito, Chris Miller, and Mac Warner. Under the current system, each voter selects just one candidate, and the votes are counted on election night.
But what happens if no candidate secures a majority, only a plurality? That’s exactly what happened in the last Republican gubernatorial primary. Governor Morrisey won with just over 33 percent of the vote—meaning 67 percent of voters preferred someone else. No runoff. Primary over.
That outcome may or may not concern you. But if it does, RCV offers an alternative.
How RCV Works
Under ranked-choice voting, instead of selecting just one candidate, voters rank them in order of preference—1 through 4, in this case. If a candidate wins 50 percent or more of the vote in the first count, the election is over. But if no one reaches a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Voters who ranked that candidate first have their votes reassigned to their next-ranked choice. This process continues, eliminating the lowest-ranked candidates and redistributing votes, until one candidate reaches a majority.
No plurality winners. No costly or low-turnout runoff elections.
Why Ban It Before It’s Even Considered?
So why would lawmakers want to ban ranked-choice voting outright, even before it has been tested or debated? The answer: electoral protectionism—the same reasoning behind closing Republican primaries to Independent voters. Consider the following:
Restricting Voter Influence: With many West Virginia general elections effectively decided in the primary, Independent voters—who now cannot participate—may feel forced to register as Republicans just to have a say. Even if Independent voters switch registration to vote in primaries, their core beliefs may not align with the party establishment. The rhetoric from the last primary illustrates this point—how often did we hear variations of “I’m the only true conservative” or “He’s not a real conservative?” A lot by my memory. Ranked-choice somewhat diminishes the value of such characterizations made during campaigning. The “RINO” label can be an effective tool in driving voting decisions. Some may not want to lose it.
A Crowded Primary System Favors Plurality Outcomes: In 2024, major Republican primaries for U.S. Senate, Congress-2nd District, Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor, and Commissioner of Agriculture each had three or more candidates. Only two (Senate and Agriculture Commissioner) resulted in a majority winner, and the Ag race barely cleared 50 percent. Similar trends were seen in state legislative races. It’s easier to win a plurality than a majority, especially if the election structure allows one to ignore a large part (former Independents) of the party.
Issue-Based Voters Are Less Predictable: Independents tend to vote based on issues rather than party loyalty. That unpredictability, combined with previous points, poses a threat to more traditional, establishment-backed candidates. Once again, a plurality outcome mitigates such concerns.
The Bottom Line
While this bill explicitly bans ranked-choice voting, the reality is that state elections today or yesterday likely couldn’t use RCV without additional legislation to allow it. The real impact of S.B. 490 is at the local level. Cities and counties could experiment with ranked-choice voting for municipal races and the like, and if it proved popular, momentum could build for broader adoption at higher levels
Perhaps that’s exactly what lawmakers fear.
S.B. 490 is on amendment stage in the Senate Monday. 2024 Primary results available here.