Hillsdale County Clerk Abe Dane has agreed with the Michigan Association of County Clerks (MACC) in opposing a proposed ballot measure to place Ranked Choice Voting in front of Michigan voters.
The association met virtually earlier this week to unanimously oppose the measure sponsored by RankMiVote.
Ranked-choice voting allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, rather than selecting just one.
If no candidate wins an outright majority of first-choice votes, the system simulates a runoff by eliminating candidates and reallocating their votes. This process continues until one candidate receives a majority of the remaining votes.
MACC President Linda Talsma cited concerns over longer ballots, conflicts with state law and the constitution, voter confusion, and extended delays in election results as reasons for opposing Ranked Choice Voting.
The organization says other states that have implemented Ranked Choice have faced weeks-long delays, which could further complicate Michigan’s already lengthy ballots.
In an email to WCSR, Dane voiced his agreement with MACC’s stance.
However, the Hillsdale County Board of Commissioners failed to pass a resolution opposing Ranked Choice at their regular meeting on Tuesday.
Commissioners Brad Benzing and Brent Leininger said that, while they strongly oppose Ranked Choice Voting, the resolution wasn’t timely because the ballot initiative hadn’t yet received enough signatures to move forward.
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