Indiana lawmakers moved to ban ranked choice voting in the state during a committee meeting on Monday.
Advocates of ranked choice voting argue it gives voters more choices, but opponents say the process can be complicated and undermines election confidence.
Over a dozen states have moved to ban the practice.
Supporters say it allows voters to cast votes for third-party candidates without worrying that those votes would be wasted. If there aren’t enough votes for the candidate they voted for, their vote would instead go towards the voter's next preference.
That practice is believed to have aided Zohran Mamdani in winning his election to be New York City Mayor last year.
Bill sponsor Blake Doriot (R-Syracuse) said ranked choice is too complicated - and seemed to imply it could favor Democrats. He cited an election in Alaska where Republicans won more first-round votes using the ranked choice system but ultimately lost the election.
“I find this somewhat distressing because in the United States we have always been one vote, one person,” he said.
Other opponents worried that the complicated process could ultimately undermine voter confidence.
Paul Lagemann is with the conservative advocacy group, Heritage Action, which supported the bill.
“Ranked choice voting is a gimmick that would undermine Hoosier elections and all the hard work done over many years to ensure voter confidence,” he said. “Ranked choice voting in Hoosier elections would be a disaster and a massive expense to local election boards.
Supporters of ranked choice voting asked why Indiana needed a ban in the first place.
Julia Vaughn is with Common Cause Indiana, a branch of a Washington D.C.-based advocacy group. Vaughn noted that ranked choice could help increase voter turnout.
“Why spend time banning a type of voting that isn’t even used here?” Vaughn asked. “We deserve real solutions for our real problems, not distractions or attempts to further limit our choices at the ballot box.”
Lagemann, in his comments, urged lawmakers to “stop ranked choice voting before it has a chance.”
The bill passed out of committee on a 7-2 vote.
Contact Government Reporter Benjamin Thorp at bthorp@wfyi.org
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