Monitoring the Session

SB 341

bill requires ranked-choice voting in vacancy special elections

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Sen. Sarah EckhardtDSenate 14

Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to the use of preferential voting in certain elections.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Voters number candidates from favorite to least favorite.

This bill requires special elections to fill a vacant office that needs a majority vote to use ranked-choice voting, where voters number the candidates from favorite to least favorite. It touches voters, candidates and election officials in those vacancy elections, and it tells the secretary of state to write the procedures and set filing deadlines. On the ground, the last-place candidate's votes move to voters' next choices until someone wins a majority, and no primary or runoff is held for those offices.

Labels

Labels: ZOMBIE BILL. Died 2 times: 88R SB 637 (Died in committee) and this bill (Died in committee). Checked against 88R only.BACK FROM THE DEAD. Same text as a bill filed before that died: 88R SB 637 (Died in committee). Filed in 2 sessions, counting this one. Checked against 88R only.TRY NO. 2. Filed in 2 sessions: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Nov 13, 2024 and referred to the Senate State Affairs committee. No public hearing. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB341 · 2024-11-13

SOLD BY

Sen. Sarah EckhardtDSenate 14

ITEM

relating to the use of preferential voting in certain elections.

WHAT IT DOES

Voters number candidates from favorite to least favorite.

This bill requires special elections to fill a vacant office that needs a majority vote to use ranked-choice voting, where voters number the candidates from favorite to least favorite. It touches voters, candidates and election officials in those vacancy elections, and it tells the secretary of state to write the procedures and set filing deadlines. On the ground, the last-place candidate's votes move to voters' next choices until someone wins a majority, and no primary or runoff is held for those offices.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

HISTORY

  1. Received by the Secretary of the Senate
  2. Filed
  3. Read first time
  4. Referred to State Affairs
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Sarah Eckhardt

Donors

Donald Henley$117,500Dale Linebarger$38,769Stephen McNally$24,000

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Jul 1, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Donald Henley$117,500.00
Dale Linebarger$38,769.25
Stephen McNally$24,000.00
Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

FILED BEFORE

Filed 2 times: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.

88R SB 637

by Sen. Eckhardt, same lead author · Died in committee · same text

Introduced text

Last action, Feb 17, 2023: Referred to State Affairs

Relating to the use of preferential voting in certain elections.

Caption, 88R bill history

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Nov 13, 2024

02/03/2025 S Referred to State Affairs

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Senate committee · State Affairs · Final status: Died in committee

Subjects

Elections--General

Elections--Registration & Suffrage

Elections--Voting Systems

SECRETARY OF STATE

Text

The text as introduced · 372 words

89R1334 LRM-D

By: Eckhardt
S.B. No. 341

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the use of preferential voting in certain elections.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 201, Election Code, is

amended by adding Sections 201.055, 201.056, 201.057, 201.058, and

201.059 to read as follows:

Sec. 201.055. PREFERENTIAL VOTING REQUIRED.

Notwithstanding Chapter 2 or any other law, a special election held

to fill a vacancy in an office requiring election by majority vote

must use preferential voting as provided by this subchapter.

Sec. 201.056. ADOPTION OF PREFERENTIAL VOTING PROCEDURES.

(a) The secretary of state shall prescribe procedures to allow for

an election of an office requiring a majority vote using a

preferential voting system.

(b) The system must allow a voter to rank each candidate for

an office through a numerical designation from the candidate the

voter favors most to the candidate the voter favors least.

Sec. 201.057. DETERMINATION OF ELECTION RESULT. (a) If no

candidate receives a majority of the votes cast designating the

highest favorable ranking for an office, the votes of the candidate

receiving the fewest number of votes are reassigned to the

candidate ranking next highest in the preference of a voter.

(b) If after reassigning votes under Subsection (a) no

candidate receives a majority of the votes cast designating the

modified highest favorable ranking, the reassignment of a vote to a

voter's next most preferred candidate under Subsection (a)

continues until one candidate receives a majority.

Sec. 201.058. PRIMARY NOT HELD; FILING PERIOD. (a) A

primary election is not held for an office to which this subchapter

applies.

(b) The secretary of state shall prescribe the filing

deadline for an application for a place on the ballot for an office

to which this subchapter applies that is filled at the general

election for state and county officers.

Sec. 201.059. RUNOFF ELECTION NOT HELD. Notwithstanding

any other law, a runoff election is not held for an office to which

this subchapter applies.

SECTION 2. The following provisions of the Election Code

are repealed:

(1) Section 203.009(d);

(2) Section 203.010; and

(3) Sections 203.013(f), (g), and (h).

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.