Rep. Katy Hall, R-South Ogden, is pictured in the House Chamber at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
A bill to end Utah’s experiment with ranked choice voting early is gaining traction in the Utah Legislature.
With HB290 , Rep. Katy Hall, R-South Ogden, wants to move up the date on which Utah’s ranked choice voting pilot project ends, from Jan. 1, 2026, to May 1 of this year.
Hall argues ranked choice voting has caused confusion and complaints in some recent city elections. She pointed to Moab, Lehi and Sandy — cities that tried out ranked choice voting and ran into snags.
For Moab , it was confusion. For Lehi , a candidate dropped out during the ballot counting phase, prompting a discussion on how to finalize results.
In Sandy , a crowded race of eight mayoral candidates came to a hectic conclusion after the Sandy City Council initially refused to certify results, disagreeing with the county over the recount process. Sandy city officials then sent a letter calling on the state to clarify the process or eliminate ranked choice voting as an option.