Michigan cities could improve their elections with ranked choice voting
On Tuesday, cities across Michigan held primary elections for local offices. Voters will have to return to the polls three months from now for the general election. With ranked choice voting (RCV), these cities could consolidate the two rounds into a single higher-turnout election – giving voters more choice and more voice, and delivering the most representative outcome.
Detroit, Lansing, and Dearborn Heights are among the cities electing their mayors this year. Each held a nonpartisan “top two” primary on Tuesday – meaning the two candidates with the most votes will compete again on November 4. As is often the case for local primaries, turnout was low; in Detroit, for example, just 17% of registered voters participated.
Detroit’s mayoral race was wide open for the first time in 12 years, as incumbent Mike Duggan is running for governor in 2026. Nine candidates ran to replace him; Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield and Rev. Solomon Kinloch will advance to the November election, having won 51% and 17% of the vote, respectively.
In nearby Dearborn Heights, four candidates ran to replace former Mayor Bill Bazzi, who was appointed as ambassador to Tunisia. Dearborn Heights Council Chair Mo Baydoun and Councilwoman Denise Malinowski Maxwell were the top two vote-getters (winning 58% and 27% respectively), and will compete again in November.
In the state’s capitol city, Lansing, incumbent Mayor Andy Schor faced three challengers. Schor and opponent Kelsea Hector will face off in the general election, after winning 63% and 16% in Tuesday’s primary.
By narrowing the field to two candidates per race, the primary system guarantees majority winners in November. However, taxpayers have to foot the bill for both elections, and they don’t get a great return on their investment. Turnout in local primaries tends to be very low, meaning a relatively small group of voters is narrowing the choices available to the broader electorate.
Ranked choice voting is a faster, cheaper, and better alternative; these cities could consolidate the primary and general election into one contest in November. With RCV, voters rank the candidates in order of preference. If their first-choice candidate isn’t viable, they can weigh in between frontrunners with a backup choice. Voters would not have to make two trips to the polls three months apart; the “rounds” needed to identify a majority winner are instantaneous.
Five Michigan cities – Ann Arbor, Ferndale, East Lansing, Kalamazoo, and Royal Oak – have already voted to use RCV in their elections, but are waiting for confirmation from the state that they can implement the reform.
Local advocacy organization Rank MI Vote is currently gathering signatures to place a measure on Michigan’s November 2026 ballot that would implement RCV statewide, and grant cities the local control needed to adopt RCV as well.
The five Michigan cities that have already voted to adopt RCV could implement it if the measure passes. Detroit, Dearborn Heights, Lansing, and other cities should follow their lead.
