(BISMARCK, ND) – A bill seeking to prohibit both approval and ranked-choice voting in North Dakota is heading to Governor Kelly Armstrong.
House Bill 1297, if enacted, would ban the use of approval or ranked-choice voting in an election within the state. Fargo is the only city in North Dakota, and one of the only cities in the entire country that uses the system. Fargo City Commissioner Denise Kolpack previously testified in opposition of the bill, saying ‘approval voting is very intuitive and encourages more citizen engagement.’
The bill passed the Senate, but not before a last-minute amendment attempt by Senator Ryan Braunberger. The amendment attempt failed, and the Senate passed the bill 38-8 with one member absent/not voting.
