FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2023
Contact: Sam D’Arcangelo, RepresentUs, sdarcangelo@represent.us
Ranked Choice Voting Measures Win Big in Michigan and Minnesota
Minnetonka, MN voters decisively defeated a measure to roll back the city’s Ranked Choice Voting system, while voters in three Michigan cities endorsed the increasingly popular electoral reform
Minnesota - Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) advocates scored impressive victories in Minnetonka, MN, Kalamazoo, MI, East Lansing, MI and Royal Oak, MI yesterday, marking another step forward for the increasingly popular electoral reform. In Minnetonka, voters defeated a ballot measure that aimed to repeal the city’s RCV system, which was first used during the 2021 mayoral and city council elections. In Kalamazoo, East Lansing and Royal Oak, voters approved initiatives that would implement RCV for municipal elections, though the measures can’t actually go into effect until the state legislature passes legislation allowing it.
“Today’s victories are yet another sign that voters know Ranked Choice Voting gives them more choices and more power,” said Megan Caska, Senior Political Director for democracy reform organization RepresentUs. “With faith in our democracy at an all-time low, it’s important for legislatures to implement this reform at the state level.”
Activists led by FairVote MN decisively defended Minnetonka’s RCV system from critics who sought to repeal it. As of this morning (with all precincts reporting), the unofficial results show more than 58% of Minnetonka voters rejected the repeal. Other major Minnesota cities, such as Minneapolis, St. Paul and Bloomington, have used RCV for the past few years, with none of them putting repeal measures on the ballot. The state legislature is also expected to consider implementing RCV statewide during next year’s legislative session.
In Michigan, the effort to pass three citywide RCV measures was led by Rank MI Vote, an organization that advocates for expanding its use throughout the state. According to local media, 71% of Kalamazoo voters, more than 52% of East Lansing voters, and 51% of Royal Oak voters approved of their RCV initiatives. These victories come just two years after Lansing, MI and Ann Arbor, MI voters approved similar RCV measures, demonstrating solid support for RCV across the state. Considering the growing momentum for RCV in Michigan, activists are enthusiastic about future opportunities for reform.
Yesterday’s victories bode well for RCV, which is poised to make even bigger gains at the ballot box in 2024. Next year, voters in both Oregon and Nevada will decide whether to implement RCV for statewide elections, and other states may join the fray. RCV is currently used statewide in Maine and Alaska as well as at the municipal level in New York City, San Francisco, Oakland,Salt Lake City, Santa Fe, NM, Burlington, VT, and Cambridge, MA, among other cities.
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For more information, contact: Sam D’Arcangelo, RepresentUs, sdarcangelo@represent.us