Following Alabama’s ban on ballot harvesting, I am looking at the next step: banning ranked choice voting to ensure Alabama’s elections are the most secure in the nation.

SB 186, introduced by Senator Arthur Orr, and HB 423, introduced by Representative Mark Shirley, would prohibit the use of ranked-choice voting in Alabama elections, but make an exception for electors who cast absentee ballots pursuant to the Uniformed Persons and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. The bills would help preserve the integrity of our state's election process.

Ranked-choice voting is a flawed system in which voters must give each candidate a numerical “rank.” If no candidate receives a majority, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated and votes are automatically redistributed among the remaining candidates. This process is repeated until one candidate receives a majority of the vote. Ranked-choice voting is banned in five states, and several more are taking up the issue in legislatures across the country.

Ranked-choice voting is an incredibly confusing and complex system designed to create winners out of losers. News headlines across the country feature issues related to ranked-choice voting.

Elections conducted using ranked choice voting have seen thousands of ballots discarded due to errors caused by voter confusion. Alabama voters have a right to be confident that their ballot will be marked correctly and will not be discarded.

In elections using ranked-choice voting, results can take weeks to be tallied. Alabama voters deserve to receive timely election results as evidence of fair, secure and transparent elections.

With ranked choice voting, not every vote counts. I commend Senator Ohr and Representative Mark Shirley for protecting Alabama's vote by introducing SB 186 and HB 423 in the Alabama Legislature, and I look forward to the day the bills are signed into law.

Wes Allen is Alabama's No. 54.^Number Secretary of State. The Secretary of State is the chief election official in the State of Alabama. Additionally, Alabama law gives the Secretary of State over 1,000 duties. To learn more about the Secretary of State and their responsibilities and duties, please visit: Alabama.