SB 386 Connecticut Senate · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT CONCERNING THE USE OF RANKED-CHOICE VOTING IN PARTY CAUCUSES, CONVENTIONS AND PRIMARIES, INCLUDING PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE PRIMARIES, AND IN CERTAIN MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

SB 386 requires the use of ranked-choice voting in certain elections starting in 2028, including most primaries (except presidential preference primaries until April 2028), municipal elections, and presidential preference primaries. This system allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference (e.g., 1st, 2nd, 3rd) rather than voting for just one candidate. Ballots must be designed to let voters rank all candidates, and tabulation occurs in rounds: the least-preferred candidate is eliminated each round until one candidate achieves a majority of votes. The bill applies to elections for single-office positions and mandates that the Secretary of the State approves ballot formats and instructions.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 26, 2026 Last action Apr 14, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Raised Bill → GAE Joint Favorable Substitute · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was converted from a 'Raised Bill' to a 'Substitute Bill' following committee review, retaining the core mandate to implement ranked-choice voting. The most significant substantive change is the expansion of the effective date for presidential preference primaries from April 4, 2028, to January 1, 2028, aligning them with the start date for other elections. Additionally, new procedures were added to handle vote ties by requiring candidates to be eliminated by lot.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on implementing ranked-choice voting for primaries, municipal elections, and presidential preference primaries, but the timeline for presidential primaries has been accelerated to match other elections.

TIMELINE

The effective date for presidential preference primaries was changed from April 4, 2028, to January 1, 2028, ensuring they use ranked-choice voting at the same time as other elections.

REQUIREMENT

New language was added to specify that if a tie occurs during vote tabulation, the candidate to be eliminated must be determined by lot.

TECHNICAL

The document header was updated to reflect the bill's status as a 'Substitute Bill' with a new Legislative Committee Order (LCO) number and revised page count.

Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Joint Favorable

upper

Mar 11, 2026

Upper · Passed

Joint Favorable Substitute

upper

Feb 26, 2026

Committee

REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Government Administration and Elections

upper

18 primary · 0 co-sponsors