Michigan House passes ranked choice voting ban

Yahoo

7 hours ago

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — A bill to ban the use of ranked choice voting in the state of Michigan has passed the state House of Representatives 57-44, with 9 not voting.
, introduced by Republican State Rep. Rachelle Smit (R-43), would prohibit the state, as well as any city, township, or other municipality from conducting elections using ranked choice voting.
Ranked choice voting allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. Candidates are then eliminated in rounds until a candidate wins a majority. The bill additionally includes any method that allows voters to vote for more candidates than total number of positions to be filled in the election.
Smit says ranked choice voting is 'chaotic,' and that it would cost millions of tax dollars to implement.
'Studies and real-world elections have shown that Ranked Choice Voting disproportionately impacts minority voters and those who don't vote in every election,' wrote Smit in a news release obtained by 6 News.
The representative also says the election method could confuse voters.
'Ranked Choice Voting, with its rounds of counting and reallocation, only breeds skepticism – especially when every close contest invites lawsuits and recount battles,' wrote Smit in a news release obtained by 6 News.
The bill now goes to the Senate for further consideration.
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