When lawmakers are committed to a policy, they will work tirelessly for as long as it takes to get the policy passed into law. Such is the case in Washington with the confusing and risky experiment known as Ranked Choice Voting, often called “rigged choice voting” for good reason. Now progressive lawmakers are back with a new bill for the 2026 session. House Bill 2210, sponsored by Reps. Gregerson and Farivar, is essentially last year’s failed HB 1448 with a fresh coat of paint.
Same agenda. Same risks. Smarter packaging.
Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) forces voters to rank candidates instead of choosing one. If no candidate gets more than 50% of first-choice votes, the lowest vote-getter is eliminated, and their ballots are redistributed based on second choices. This repeats until someone reaches a so-called “majority.”
That process sounds tidy on paper. In practice, it’s anything but.
RCV relies on complex algorithms rather than straightforward vote totals. It increases voter confusion, delays results, and produces “exhausted ballots” when voters don’t rank enough candidates, meaning their votes stop counting altogether. This is not voter empowerment; it’s disenfranchisement by design.
Why HB 2210 Exists: The Pivot from HB 1448
Last year’s HB 1448 would have permanently authorized local governments; cities, counties, school districts, fire and port districts to adopt RCV under statewide rules, supported by a voter education work group. After strong pushback primarily from conservatives, election officials, and even the Secretary of State’s office, the bill stalled and died. The concerns were clear: high costs, logistical nightmares, voter confusion, and loss of public trust.
HB 2210 is their workaround.
Here’s what changed and why it matters:
• A fake “temporary” window. Jurisdictions must opt in by December 31, 2032, but once they do, they can use RCV forever. This creates artificial urgency while pretending it’s just a limited experiment. It’s not. It’s a permanent backdoor.
• No more work group. The advisory panel is gone. Voter education is pushed onto county auditors, with costs dumped on local jurisdictions.
• Delayed rulemaking. The Secretary of State wouldn’t be required to adopt procedures until May 1, 2027, later than under HB 1448, leaving counties to prepare in the dark.
• An emergency clause. The bill claims RCV is necessary for the “immediate preservation of public safety,” allowing it to take effect immediately if passed, with no meaningful time for preparation or public pushback.
Strip away the tweaks and the core remains the same: optional RCV for local offices using instant runoff or single transferable vote systems, top five primaries, special rules for multi-county districts, and all implementation costs shifted to local taxpayers. It’s still complex, opaque, and risky.
Why This Is Bad for Washington Elections
Washingtonians already struggle with confidence in our election system. Endless mail-in ballots, delayed counts, and opaque processes have taken their toll. Adding RCV would make things worse.
RCV increases voter confusion and disenfranchisement, especially for seniors, new voters, people with disabilities, and busy families. Studies consistently show minority and lower-income voters are less likely to participate effectively in RCV elections.
It delays results and reduces transparency. Outcomes can take weeks, rely heavily on software that’s difficult to audit, and can flip based on exhausted ballots rather than actual voter preference.
It drives up costs. Local taxpayers would pay for new voting systems, training, and outreach; money that should be used to secure and improve the system we already have.
Even Democrat Secretary of State Steve Hobbs has repeatedly warned against RCV, citing voter confusion, disenfranchisement of vulnerable populations, including his own family, and serious logistical concerns.
The National Trend Is Clear
Across the country, states are rejecting Ranked Choice Voting. Since our alert on HB 1448, the list of states banning RCV has grown rapidly. In 2024 and 2025 alone, more than a dozen states, including Alabama, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, North Dakota, and Wyoming, moved to prohibit it. Voters have rejected RCV ballot measures time and again because they recognize it erodes trust, not builds it.
Passing HB 2210 would further frustrate and discourage conservative voters and risk suppressing turnout in communities that adopt it. Washington can’t afford another blow to election confidence.
Ranked Choice Voting didn’t become safer because it was renamed. HB 2210 is the same experiment Washington already rejected, only sneakier.
We’re watching. And we’ll be sounding the alarm again during the 2026 legislative session.
Support Our Work
If this bill concerns you, you’re not alone. Our team works every day to track legislation, break down complex policy, and alert citizens before it’s too late to act. This kind of work takes time, research, and resources—and we rely on supporters like you to keep it going.
If you value having a watchdog in Olympia who will actually read the bills, expose the risks, and equip citizens with the truth, please consider making a donation today. Every contribution, large or small, helps us continue bringing truth and transparency to Washington citizens.
Stand with us.
