The House passed legislation this week that would ban ranked choice voting in Michigan.
Key Points:
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- House Bill 4707 was introduced by Representative Rachelle Smit (R-Shelbyville).
- Under ranked choice voting, the voter ranks candidates in order of preference.
- If no one has more than 50% of first-choice votes, the last-place candidates are eliminated in rounds. This continues to occur until one candidate reaches the 50% threshold.
- According to the bill sponsor, this can lead to confusion and a chaotic process.
Next Steps:
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- The bill will be sent to the Senate for consideration.
Rank MI Vote is an organization currently collecting signatures to put a ballot proposal before voters to adopt this type of voting in Michigan. It would require it for federal and statewide elections and allow local governments to use this method if they so choose.