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Utah legislative committee votes to drop the issue of plurality elections — for now

After months of study and years of handwringing, a panel of Utah lawmakers recommended Wednesday that Utah maintain its status quo regarding election candidates who win a party nomination with less than a majority of votes.

Members of the Government Operations Interim Committee had been asked by legislative leaders to issue guidance on the question of plurality, a situation where no candidate in a race exceeds 50% support.

But after a presentation on the frequency of plurality victories, and the costs and administrative burden of various solutions, the committee voted unanimously to recommend that no changes be made in the short term to the state’s election laws.