Connecticut SB 386: AN ACT CONCERNING SUICIDE PREVENTION.

Bill Text

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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 386
February Session, 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING THE USE OF RANKED-CHOICE VOTING IN
PARTY CAUCUSES, CONVENTIONS AND PRIMARIES, INCLUDING
PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE PRIMARIES, AND IN CERTAIN
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective January 1, 2028) (a) As used in this section: 1
(1) "Active candidate" means, with respect to a round of tabulation 2
under ranked-choice voting, a candidate (A) whose name appears on 3
the ballot or who is registered as a write-in candidate, and (B) who has 4
not been eliminated, is not a winning candidate and is not a withdrawn 5
candidate; 6
(2) "Inactive ballot" means, with respect to a given round of tabulation 7
and all subsequent rounds of tabulation under ranked-choice voting, a 8
ballot on which no vote is tabulated because (A) no candidate ranked on 9
the ballot remains an active candidate; or (B) two or more candidates are 10
ranked at the same order of preference and no other candidates that are 11
ranked higher remain as active candidates; 12
(3) "Ranked-choice voting" means a system of casting and tabulating 13
votes under which, with respect to a particular office, (A) each elector is 14
able to rank candidates on the ballot in the order of such elector's 15
preference, (B) one or more rounds of tabulation are used to determine 16

Substitute Bill No. 386

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active candidates in accordance with electors' preferences, and (C) the 17
active candidate with the greatest number of votes after all rounds of 18
tabulation are complete is the winning candidate; 19
(4) "Rank" or "ranking" means an elector's vote expressed in 20
numerical order of such elector's preferences as to the candidates on the 21
ballot, where "1" indicates the highest preference and subsequent 22
numbers indicate lower preferences; 23
(5) "Repeated ranking" means markings on a ballot whereby the same 24
candidate is ranked at multiple, differing orders of preference; 25
(6) "Skipped ranking" means markings on a ballot whereby an elector 26
leaves a ranking unassigned but also ranks a candidate at a lower order 27
of preference; 28
(7) "Undervote" means, with respect to all rounds of tabulation under 29
ranked-choice voting for a particular office, a ballot on which no vote is 30
cast due to no candidate being ranked; 31
(8) "Winning candidate" means the candidate with the greatest 32
number of votes, under ranked-choice voting, after all rounds of 33
tabulation are complete; and 34
(9) "Withdrawn candidate" means a person (A) whose candidacy has 35
been withdrawn in accordance with the applicable provision of title 9 of 36
the general statutes, and (B) in a presidential preference primary, who 37
complies with all applicable party rules governing the timing, 38
procedures or substance of candidate withdrawals or campaign 39
suspensions. 40
(b) (1) Except as prohibited by any provision of title 9 of the general 41
statutes, the outcome of (A) any primary, other than a presidential 42
preference primary, held on or after January 1, 2028, (B) any municipal 43
election held on or after January 1, 2028, or (C) any presidential 44
preference primary held on or after January 1, 2028, may be determined 45
under ranked-choice voting. 46

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(2) (A) For any primary or municipal election determined under 47
ranked-choice voting for an office to which electors nominate or elect no 48
more than one candidate, the provisions of subdivision (1) of subsection 49
(d) of this section shall apply. 50
(B) For any primary or municipal election determined under ranked-51
choice voting for offices other than those described in subparagraph (A) 52
of this subdivision, the provisions of subdivision (1) of subsection (d) of 53
this section shall not apply. 54
(c) (1) (A) At each primary or municipal election conducted under 55
ranked-choice voting, the Secretary of the State shall prescribe the type 56
of ballot to be used, the instructions to appear on such ballot and the 57
layout and orientation of such ballot. The use of any ballot at any such 58
primary or municipal election shall be subject to the approval of the 59
Secretary. 60
(B) The ballot at each primary or municipal election conducted under 61
ranked-choice voting, or the portion of such ballot used for ranked-62
choice voting, shall: 63
(i) List all candidates duly qualified to appear on such ballot for such 64
primary or municipal election and in such a manner as to allow each 65
elector who is eligible to vote in such primary or municipal election to 66
rank all such candidates in the order of such elector's preference. If such 67
ballot cannot allow for ranking of all such candidates, the Secretary may 68
limit ranking to not less than five candidates, provided such limitation 69
by the Secretary shall be uniform with respect to all electors eligible to 70
vote in such primary