Indiana Legislature inches towards banning ranked-choice voting
by Harry Roth
Earlier this week, the Indiana Senate Elections Committee held a hearing on Senate Bill 12, a bill that would ban ranked-choice voting (RCV) statewide. If passed, Indiana would become the 18th state to ban RCV. Last year alone, six states passed similar bans to protect voters.
Another ban bill passed the Ohio Senate last year and remains active in the House, while a ballot measure to repeal RCV in Alaska recently qualified for the 2026 ballot. To say the least, 2026 is shaping up to be a difficult year for ranked-choice voting.
Stop RCV Coalition co-chair Jason Snead testified at the Indiana hearing in support of SB 12. He ended his testimony with a powerful and direct message to the committee:
“I encourage you to act preemptively and to make sure there is a clear black letter law banning ranked-choice voting in Indiana. I encourage the passage of SB 12.”
You can find his full video testimony here.
After hearing from a wide range of groups and individuals both for and against the bill, the committee voted 7-2 to advance the measure. SB 12 will soon head to a full floor vote.
Ranked-choice voting supporters point to the fact that no Indiana municipality currently uses the system as a reason to reject the bill, but that is a moot point. It’s vital that states act now to prevent RCV from gaining a foothold. Advocates typically start at the local level, pushing for ballot measures in cities or counties to spread the system—a strategy that has proven successful in the past.
Whether it’s used in a school board primary in Alameda County, California, a mayoral race in Oakland, or a congressional race in Maine, voters have suffered the negative effects of RCV. The system has led to technical glitches, long and difficult audits, weeks-long delays, and ballot elimination. It’s clear that RCV is a mess in local, statewide, and federal elections. Legislators are right to ban it, and voters are wise to oppose it.