Hillsdale commissioners reject resolution 4-1
The Hillsdale County Board of Commissioners rejected a resolution that opposes ranked choice voting, 4-1, at its Oct. 14 meeting.
Ranked choice voting is an election method in which voters list candidates in order of preference rather than selecting just one. All first choices are tallied, and if no candidate wins a majority, the first round’s least popular candidate is eliminated. Then, the votes of those who ranked that candidate first will shift to their second choice. This process continues until a candidate receives a majority.
The resolution discussed at the Oct. 14 meeting was written by the Michigan Association of County Clerks. It opposes efforts by the group Rank MI Vote to use RCV throughout the state.
“The Michigan Association of County Clerks, in its role as stewards of Michigan’s election system, respectfully opposes the Rank MI Vote ballot proposal due to its impact on ballot clarity, voter understanding, election costs, timely reporting of results, and overall election integrity,” the resolution says.
The initiative proposed by Rank MI Vote has yet to receive enough signatures to be on the ballot. If the petition receives enough signatures, RCV will be on the ballot next November.
Brad Benzing, who represents District 4 on the Hillsdale County Board of Commissioners, said that, although he opposes RCV, he does not support the board taking a stance before the measure is added to the ballot.
“It is the right of people to petition their government, and I think we are, at least at this point, putting the cart before the horse,” Benzing said. “I think that going on the record of opposing measures is probably just getting off into the weeds.”
This decision comes as numerous cities and states are considering RCV. Most notably, RCV determined New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary results this summer.
Mark Wiley of District 3 was the only member of the board of commissioners to vote yes on the resolution.
Wiley said approving the resolution would help warn people about the problems with RCV and encourage them to vote no if it ends up on the ballot this November.
“Rank Choice Voting is a bad idea, and don’t sign a petition without understanding it,” Wiley said.
While it’s unclear if Rank MI Vote will get enough signatures to put RCV on the ballot, state lawmakers have divided along party lines. An August vote on a bill banning RCV broke down 57-44, with Republicans passing the bill and nine members abstaining.
“Ranked choice voting, with its rounds of counting and reallocation, only breeds skepticism — especially when every close contest invites lawsuits and recount battles,” said state Rep. Rachelle Smit, R-Martin, who sponsored the bill, on the House floor Aug. 19. “Michigan doesn’t need ballot box gymnastics. We need integrity, clarity, and confidence, which are all qualities ranked choice voting cannot deliver.”
State Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou, D-East Lansing, spoke out against the bill, saying the government should leave the issue up to individual communities to decide.
“When communities across Michigan decide through their own ballots that they want rank choice voting, that should be the end of the conversation,” Tsernoglou said.
The bill has not yet become law. If passed by the Democrat-controlled Senate and signed by the governor, Michigan would become the 18th state to ban it.
