On February 10, the Montana Senate voted on the proposal to amend the State Constitution and require a majority vote before anyone can be elected. The result was a 25-25 tie. Since the bill is a proposed Constitutional amendment, under Montana legislative rules, it now goes to the House even though it didn’t pass the Senate. However, it must pass in the House with a two-thirds vote, so its chances are dim. See this news story, which quotes former Secretary of State Mike Cooney, who is now a State Senator, criticizing both ordinary run-offs and Instant Runoff Voting.

Although the news story says the bill applies to state and local office, it actually also applies to federal office.