On the other side of an election season marked by indecision and disaffection for many voters, advocates of ranked choice voting say the method already adopted by several communities around the state could be the key to less volatile elections if approved statewide.
Rank MI Vote, a nonprofit organization that’s held 40 town halls statewide to raise awareness about ranked choice voting, said it’s seen a spike in interest since Election Day from voters who left the ballot box feeling unsatisfied with the election process.
“Voters in Ann Arbor, East Lansing, Ferndale, Kalamazoo, and Royal Oak have already approved ranked choice voting for their local elections because they know it builds more effective political coalitions and offers better representation,” Rank MI Vote executive director Ron Zimmerman said in a statement. “Now, this movement of voters who want less polarization and better choices on their ballots is seeing a groundswell of momentum to take this reform statewide.”
Now that the dust of the 2024 cycle has settled, the organization is seeking further public input about what a 2026 ballot proposal campaign for ranked choice voting could look like. Supporters have said having the opportunity to rank candidates would make elections more competitive accessible to candidates outside of the two-party system.
Elections could become more civil and less polarizing, they reason, if voters had the opportunity to express their support for more than one candidate on the ballot and didn’t have to feel that voting for third-party or independent candidates was tantamount to throwing away their votes.
“While the vicious attack ads for this past election have ended, we are already bracing ourselves for the next election cycle, which is starting earlier and earlier, getting even more expensive, and becoming more divisive,” Zimmerman said. “The time for serious election reform is now. By adopting Ranked Choice Voting we can reduce polarization and empower third-party and independent candidates without being accused of ‘spoiling’ an election.”
– By Lily Guiney
I don’t like closed primaries and having to choose a party before I vote in a primary election. Often there are no candidates running at the local level for town offices in one party or the other. I think the politicians want us to be partisan, but I would like to vote my preferences even if they are not all with the same party. With ranked choice voting, I know if my favorite candidate is eliminated, my vote won’t be wasted and will be cast for my second or third choice if needed. Ranked choice voting would it simple to vote the way I want to without needing a big strategy.
We definitely need better candidates! I’m tired of choosing between the lesser of two evils. I’m sure the two major parties will stand against this like they have in other states. I just hope people can see how Ranked Choice Voting and Open Primaries can change the incentive system to make politicians more accountable to the people. When the major parties attack it, I hope the people realize it is because they want to hold on to their grip on power… Even if they can’t work together to solve our problems, the one thing they agree on is that they don’t want additional competition.