Voters in three Michigan cities approve ranked choice voting
Last night, ranked choice voting (RCV) was on the ballot in three Michigan cities, which are home to nearly 200,000 people combined. Ranked choice voting won in all three.
Voters in Kalamazoo, East Lansing, and Royal Oak, Michigan each approved ballot measures to adopt ranked choice voting for future city elections. 71% of voters in Kalamazoo approved their measure, while 52% in East Lansing and 51% in Royal Oak did the same.
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These victories come just two years after 73% of Ann Arbor voters approved ranked choice voting in their own ballot measure, bringing the total number of Michigan cities embracing RCV to five.
While these cities still need authorization from the state to implement RCV, the ballot measures amend each city’s charter such that RCV will be used as soon as authorization is granted. This put pressure on Michigan’s secretary of state and governor to take action.
If the change is approved, Kalamazoo and Royal Oak will use RCV for single-winner mayoral elections and use the “gold standard” of proportional RCV for multi-winner city council elections. East Lansing will use proportional RCV for city council only.
“Michiganders across the state are demanding majority winners, with more choice and less political hostility,” said Rank MI Vote executive director Ron Zimmerman. “With more cities endorsing ranked choice voting across the state, it’s time for the secretary of state and the governor to support the will of the voters and adopt the necessary legislative changes. Cities have the constitutional right to elect their leaders as they see fit.”
We applaud the hard work that Rank MI Vote and other dedicated activists did to ensure these ballot measures passed. State and local groups are at the forefront of progress on RCV around the nation. Join a group in your state to make a difference!
Click here for a full summary of the 2023 RCV elections.
