So, voters of Ann Arbor... You may or may not have had people canvass your door this weekend asking you to vote yes on Prop B, which would allow the city to use "Ranked Choice Voting". I am urging you to approve this measure.

Here's why...

RCV is a better way to vote. The way we do it now, called First Past The Post is horrible. It just is. I am not going to tell you that RCV is perfect, but FPTP is measurably the worst and should be replaced.

But even more importantly, there are other cities in Michigan who also want to use RCV in their elections and presently... They cant. Current election laws dont allow cities to develop their own ballot language or approve their own voting equipment so RCV effectively cant be used by those other cities even though the Homerule City Act says that cities can use "preferential ballot or any other legal means of voting."

So, if Ann Arbor approves the measure, sure, you might not be able to use RCV either. But it sends a message to the state legislature that says "We approved RCV. Let us use it!" You'd be joining Ferndale in saying that you want RCV in your elections. I hope I can appeal to the "It's bigger than just Ann Arbor" part in you. Ultimately the city attorney is going to have to defend RCVs use. But that's also a great thing for the wider movement of RCV in Michigan.

Ann Arbor actually already approved and used RCV back in 1974. RCV is not a new idea. But it didnt stick back in the 70s because the first time it was used, the major parties lobbied to reverse its use because they didnt like the outcome. The same thing happened in Burlington, VT. A 3rd party won mayor and the following election both Democrats and Republicans stripped RCV away from the people. If you want to know more about it, read up on Stephenson v. Ann Arbor Board of Canvassers.

If you couldnt read the entire post:

• RCV has historical roots in Ann Arbor.

• RCV is constitutional as legally tested in Stephenson v. Ann Arbor Board of Canvassers. That's right! You helped prove in a court that RCV was legal in 1975.

• Ann Arbor should trail blaze for other cities and tell the MI legislature that you want RCV (again).

• RCV is more fair, leads to less toxic election cycles, and more candidates to choose from. It also seems to promote more women and POC to run in elections.

Thank you!

Edit: a few people have pointed out that Im not really "selling" the merits of RCV. If you found this post Im assuming you'll do your own research. I hope I sparked interest ahead of those voting in-person. There are a ton of great resources which discuss RCV - RCV Resource Center, Fairvote, and Common Cause. (Beware the misinformation campaign too, which of course exists.) You should read the local prop too because there are so many options with RCV. Which offices will it be used for? What happens to over-votes? How are ties settled? Etc. There's a lot of specificity that is determined locally. If you came here and never heard of RCV, I deeply apologize.

Also, thanks for the awards!!!

Final edit: THANK YOU ANN ARBOR!!! You did it! Thanks for approving the ballot measure by an incredible amount. Over 70% of voters approved RCV. But the hard part has only begun. As I explained, we need to get the State to get on board with this and then defend it from attack. The first person(s) to lose an election under RCV are more than likely going to want it reversed. Changes in how we vote do take time so expanding where we use RCV and giving it a chance is really important. Cities that use RCV year after year really do love it and I know you will too.