(Source: MIRS.news, Published 10/07/2024) The group wanting to bring ranked choice voting to Michigan won't start collecting signatures for a ballot initiative until they receive input from local clerks and the Secretary of State. However, not getting the election officials' blessing isn't a dealbreaker.

The state-based organization is looking to bring ranked choice voting to Michigan, particularly through a ballot proposal effort for the November 2026 election. Beginning on Sept. 22, the group launched a 40-day town hall series to understand Michiganders' interest, as well as to educate them around ranked choice voting. 

The last town hall will take place on Nov. 3 in Brighton. 

Ranked choice voting – or instant-runoff voting – takes place when voters rank candidates, from all political parties, from their most preferred winner to their least. The election is decided by who has 50 percent of ballots listing them as the most-preferred candidate. 

If no one receives 50 percent support in the first round of counting, then the candidate who was most preferred the least is eliminated, and those voters' second choice gets their votes. 

On this week's episode of the MIRS Monday podcast, Ron Zimmerman, Rank MI Vote's executive director, explained election administrators haven't been formally approached on the subject, as the organization is waiting to complete the final draft of its proposed amendment language.

Before a ballot initiative effort in Michigan can begin collecting signatures, the measure must first be filed with the Secretary of State's office. Additionally, it is advised, although not required, that organizers have their petition summaries reviewed by the Board of State Canvassers to ensure the format meets the legal guidelines and that the summary isn't deceptive or misleading. 

Zimmerman said there absolutely needs to be appropriate funding to make the proposal possible, just like for the successful 2018 effort creating the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC), as well as the approved 2022 Promote the Vote proposal that brought at least nine days of early in-person voting. 

As for Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, she was a keynote speaker last year at the Sept. 27-29 American Democracy Summit in Los Angeles. The event's partners include Rank The Vote, a national advocate for ranked choice voting, and FairVote and Unite America, which have both been reached out to by Rank MI Vote for funding. 

However, the summit itself was also focused on reforms dealing with voter accessibility and "anti-gerrymandering," and based on Rank MI Vote's understanding, Benson has not publicly revealed her personal thoughts on ranked choice voting. 

"We're looking at after this election to sit down with Jocelyn with a more firm draft of our proposal and say, 'hey . . . what do you think about this? What do you think are some of the pros and cons?'" Zimmerman said. "I think conceptually, she supports it, but I think if you asked her she would say 'the devil's in the details.'" 

Zimmerman said all five ballot scanners used in Michigan have ranked choice voting software built into them, although it still needs to be implemented and tested.