Video: State Rep Regina Weiss talks about Ranked Choice Voting

(Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 14, 2022)

Lansing, MI – State Representative Regina Weiss (D- Oak Park) is among the legislators who introduced a package of three bills aimed at giving municipalities the tools they need to implement Ranked Choice Voting in local elections.

The bills would not require Ranked Choice Voting, simply give communities the option to have it in local elections. It would not impact races for positions at the state or federal level.

In RCV voters rank candidate with 1 being their first choice, 2 being their second etc. If a candidate gets over 50% of the number 1 votes, they win. But if one candidate does not win more than 50% of the votes during the first vote tally, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. The vote would be recounted and all of the votes for the eliminated candidate would be reallocated to candidates based on the voter’s second-ranked preference. This process is repeated until one candidate achieves a majority of the votes. RCV has also been called Instant Runoff Voting, but RCV is the term more often used in recent years

The legislative package includes:

House Bill 5646 to amend the Home Rule City Act to allow cities to authorize the use of ranked-choice voting for local elections.
House Bill 5644 to amend the Michigan Election Law by outlining the rules for how a ranked-choice election is conducted.
House Bill 5645 to amend the Michigan Election Law to establish the procedures that local clerks must follow when implementing a ranked-choice election.

Recent attempts to implement ranked-choice voting have been ongoing in Michigan since 2004, when voters in Ferndale passed a local ballot initiative to amend their city charter. More recently, voters in Ann Arbor approved ranked-choice voting in the November 2020 election by 73%. Earlier this year, the Lansing City Council began exploring a proposal to shift to a ranked-choice voting process. However, state law needs to be updated to authorize ranked-choice voting before it can be implemented.

Weiss recommended those wanting to get involved or learn more check out Rank MI Vote at www.rankmivote.org.

Analysis: IRV and the Ferndale Mayor’s Race (Nov. 7, 2013)

IRV: What’s Missing from Ferndale’s Election (Sept. 29, 2013)

Presentation Explains Ranked Choice Voting as it Becomes Reality in Ferndale (Aug. 27, 2019)