LANSING, MI — Legislation introduced by Michigan House members would allow communities to implement what’s known as a ranked-choice voting system where voters rank candidates on the ballot by order of their preference.
Ranked-choice voting lets voters rank candidates in order of preference, which advocates say is better for democracy because it makes elections fairer for all voters and candidates.
Under proportional ranked-choice voting, more than one candidate wins. To win, a candidate must earn a sufficiently large share of the votes. For example, if three candidates will win, the threshold is 25% of the votes plus one additional vote. If a candidate earns 25% of the votes, it is impossible for three other candidates to beat them.
Opponents argue it can muddle the process and be confusing to new voters.
Language in Michigan’s home rule act and the state’s election law currently prevent local governments from implementing the voting method.
“These are just technical fixes to allow local officials to be able to do it if they want to,” Rep. Regina Weiss, D-Oak Park, said of the bill package.
HB 5645, Weiss’ bill, taken with HB 5644 and HB 5646 would authorize communities to enact the use of ranked-choice voting for city offices.
“In a lot of ways (ranked-choice) is more democratic than the traditional voting style,” Weiss said. “And of course it’s optional, so, even if a community elects to have a ranked-choice voting system following legislation, a voter doesn’t have to rank their choice. They can still vote for just one person if they choose to do so, ranked-choice just gives them the option.”
The package was introduced by Democratic Reps. Weiss, D-Oak Park, Abraham Aiyash, D-Hamtramck; Stephanie Young, D-Detroit; Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit; Mary Cavanagh, D-Redford Township; Rachel Hood, D-Grand Rapids; Helena Scott, D-Detroit; Cynthia Johnson, D-Detroit; Felecia Brabec, D-Pittsfield Township; Darrin Camilleri, D-Downriver; Ranjeev Puri, D-Canton and Jewell Jones, D-Inkster.
The bills are unlikely to see movement as Republicans continue pressing for stricter voter ID and signature laws, Weiss said.
“I haven’t seen any indication it’s likely to move, but we’re always an election away from a new Legislature. We’re trying to keep the momentum going and make sure people know about it,” Weiss said.
Advocates for ranked-choice voting agree that the process makes local government better. Voters can rank their favorite candidates honestly without needing to think about who is most “electable” or whether their vote will be “wasted.”
“It is a simple change that can have a big impact,” says Fair Vote, a nonpartisan national voting rights organization and supporter of ranked-choice voting. “Proportional ranked-choice voting is the gold standard for how to conduct legislative elections in the United States. It ensures both majority rule and fair representation, while giving voters more choices and a more empowering way to vote.”
Ranked-choice voting has been used in Maine, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Oakland, California, Cambridge, Massachusetts and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
In 2019, the City of Eastpointe, Michigan made history after it held its first citywide election using ranked-choice as the result of a settlement with a federal court, which allowed it to bypass the state law impeding other Michigan cities from implementing it. The city adopted a proportional ranked-choice method for its city council elections as part of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice under the Federal Voting Rights Act.
The lawsuit was filed by the U.S. Justice Department in the final days of Barack Obama’s presidency in 2017. Despite Eastpointe’s more than 40% Black population, the government accused the city of never electing a Black member to its city council. The justice department alleged the city to be in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits voting practices or procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or membership of a minority group.
Ranked-choice has now been used in two city-wide elections: In 2019, proportional ranked-choice voting was used to elect two council members, and again in 2020 to fill a vacant seat.
The four-year consent decree which is the legal basis for Eastpointe’s ranked-choice elections is set to expire next year, meaning the city would have to ask the federal court to extend the decree to continue to hold elections using the voting method.
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