We are not trying to “thwart a better system,” as some have suggested. We are trying to protect your vote and our democratic republic.
Ranked-choice voting is not new. Several cities in Ohio used this process in the early 1900′s. All of them repealed this method later.
It still has no place in Ohio.
There are many different versions of ranked-choice elections. Generally, voters list candidates in their order of preference. If a candidate ends the first round of voting with a majority, more than 50% of the votes, they are named the winner. However, if no candidate has a majority of the votes, the candidate with the fewest amount is removed. Those who voted for the removed candidate would then have their ‘second choice’ vote counted. The election continues in this manner until one candidate gains a majority of the votes and is declared the winner.
Are you confused yet? If so, you are not alone. Not only is ranked-choice voting convoluted, it also has a host of issues. Some of these include:
- Decreased voter turnout in communities that have implemented ranked-choice voting;
- Increased time to calculate election results, as happened in the 2021 New York City mayor’s race that took 57 days to get precinct–level results;
- A confusing tabulation process, which increases risk of error, like the Oakland school board situation where the wrong person was certified as the winner. This also undermines voter confidence;
- Increased cost to taxpayers. One study found that jurisdictions utilizing ranked-choice voting “spend significantly more on elections overall”;
- Varying numbers of candidates - voters may have to rank 10-20 candidates, making it difficult for voters to be knowledgeable about the various candidates;
- Possibility of skewed election results - a person who comes in third in the first round of voting could end up getting elected in a later round;
- Not every vote counts due to ballot exhaustion.
Perhaps the most worrisome concern with ranked-choice voting is “exhausted” ballots. In a traditional election, every vote placed is counted, regardless of the election result. In ranked-choice voting, there is a possibility that all of a voter’s preferred candidates will be removed, causing an “exhausted” ballot, which will not count towards the final result. Voters are given an ultimatum, either vote for people you dislike and who oppose your principles or risk having your ballot thrown out. This is un-American and directly negates the principle of “one person, one vote,” which is crucial to democracy.
All of these problems work to undermine voters’ confidence in their elections or results. This debate is playing out in Alaska, where efforts to repeal ranked-choice voting are ongoing.
Since 2022, ten states have passed bans of ranked-choice voting, including Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Tennessee.
S.B. 137 would remove state funding from any municipalities or local governments that attempt to use ranked-choice voting in their elections. Last year we passed the DATA Act to create greater transparency among the 88 County Boards of Election by standardizing election data, creating common definitions, and allowing an apples-to-apples comparison of data across Ohio. The public can access this data through the Secretary of State’s office. Ranked-choice voting in local governments across the state would undermine this transparency.
Ohioans have a right to participate in elections and deserve the best possible experience at the polls. With ranked-choice voting, this right and experience would be jeopardized. With all the decisions facing voters at the ballot, this is no time to alter the traditional method of voting with an unproven alternative.
Sen. Theresa Gavarone represents Ohio Senate District 2 in Northeast Ohio. She grew up in Centerville, Ohio and graduated from Archbishop Alter High School in Dayton.
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