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Gov. Kelly Armstrong signed a bill Wednesday prohibiting ranked-choice and approval voting in North Dakota. This legislation impacts Fargo, as the city adopted approval voting after citizens voted for it in 2018 after previous elections where candidates won with small percentages of votes in crowded races. Under the approval voting system, voters select as many candidates as they want, and the top-ranked candidates win. The system was used in three city elections, improving results from candidates only receiving about 17% of votes in 2018 to winners garnering about 45% support in 2024. Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney supported the approval system, yet city officials anticipated it would be voted out due to the legislature’s strong backing of the bill. The governor cited the need for “consistent, efficient and easy to understand” elections statewide. This ban follows a similar bill vetoed by former Governor Burgum in 2023 as “state overreach.”
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