On January 9, 2025 nine House representatives (bipartisan) introduced House Bill HB 600.

This bill seeks to provide municipalities with the option to use ranked choice voting methods in their local elections.

Cities such as Salt Lake City, Portland (ME), Cambridge (MA), New York City, Minneapolis & St. Paul (MN), San Francisco, Burlington (VT), Santa Fe (NM) and many other smaller localities have been using RCV with great success in their local elections for some time.

Some municipalities in New Hampshire, such as Manchester and Nashua, require runoff contests when no candidate receives half the votes. Providing such municipalities with the option to incorporate ranked choice preferences on ballots with three or more candidates could save them the costs and delays of organizing runoffs. 

RCV can bring more proportional, less divisive representation on town select boards and councils; and in single-winner races, RCV gives more choice and more voice to the voters; more often leads to majority winners (eliminating vote splitting and the spoiler effect, without the need for strategic voting); and thus better reflects the will of the people.    

The bill provides municipalities with the ability to opt-in for specific municipal elections, once consent has been obtained under each one's procedures for approval, such as a warrant article.

The bill in no way obliges any municipality to implement ranked choice voting methods unless it chooses to do so.