ANNAPOLIS, Md — A bill under debate in the Maryland General Assembly could change the way the state selects presidential candidates by introducing ranked-choice voting for the 2028 primary election.
On Wednesday, the State Senate’s Education, Energy, and Environment Committee is holding a hearing on the proposal, which would allow voters to rank multiple candidates in order of preference. Instead of choosing just one candidate, voters would assign rankings, and if no candidate wins a majority outright, lower-ranked choices would be redistributed until a winner is determined.
Under this system, the candidate with the most first-choice votes may not necessarily win. If passed and signed into law, the measure would be in place for the 2028 presidential primary. The bill also calls for the Maryland State Board of Elections to develop a voter education campaign and conduct a post-election survey to assess voter satisfaction with the new system.
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