An Act ensuring municipal power over whether elections are reformed

This bill allows Massachusetts cities and towns to choose whether to adopt ranked choice voting for their local elections. Under the new rules, municipalities can implement this system through a ballot measure, local ordinance, or charter amendment, provided they first educate voters on how the process works. The law specifies that voters can rank candidates in order of preference, with votes transferred to subsequent choices if a candidate is eliminated, and it permits 16 and 17-year-old residents to vote in these local elections. Additionally, the legislation ensures that communities can return to their previous voting method after four years if they choose to do so via the same approval processes.