Ann Arbor, Michigan, Proposal B, Ranked-Choice Voting Charter Amendment (November 2021)
| Ann Arbor Proposal B | |
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| Topic Local charter amendments and Local elections and campaigns |
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| Type Referral |
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Ann Arbor Proposal B was on the ballot as a referral in Ann Arbor on November 2, 2021. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported adopting ranked-choice voting (RCV) for mayor and city council elections when state law is changed to allow for RCV. |
A "no" vote opposed adopting ranked-choice voting for mayor and city council elections. |
Election results
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Ann Arbor Proposal B |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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13,293 | 72.83% | ||
| No | 4,958 | 27.17% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Proposal B was as follows:
| “ | Ann Arbor City Charter Amendment Ranked Choice Voting for the Election of City Officers Shall the Charter be amended to provide that the Mayor and City Council members are to be nominated and elected by a Ranked Choice Voting method when it is authorized by State Law? | ” |
Background
Ranked-choice voting in Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor voters enacted ranked-choice voting in 1974 by a vote of 53% to 47%. It was used for city elections in 1975, during which election challenger Albert Wheeler won the election by 0.4%. The incumbent James Stephenson won 49% of votes in the first round, but Wheeler received enough second-preference votes to win the election in the next round of tabulation. Wheeler was the city's first black mayor. In 1976, voters repealed ranked-choice voting by 62% to 38%.[1]
Statewide ranked choice voting measures in 2020
Voters in two states decided measures to establish ranked choice voting for state-level elections:
- Massachusetts Question 2, Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative (2020)
- Alaska Ballot Measure 2, Top-Four Ranked-Choice Voting and Campaign Finance Laws Initiative (2020)
Ranked-choice voting (RCV)
| Ranked-choice voting (RCV) ballot measures | |
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| Pages: • Ranked-choice voting (RCV) • History of RCV ballot measures • Electoral systems on the ballot • Local electoral systems on the ballot • Electoral systems by state | |
- See also: Ranked-choice voting (RCV)
The ballot measure has played a role in shaping electoral systems in the U.S., including ranked-choice voting (RCV) for state and local elections.
Since 1915, there have been more than 150 ballot measures to adopt or repeal ranked-choice voting systems. Ashtabula, Ohio, was the first jurisdiction to approve a ranked-choice voting measure in 1915.
RCV is an electoral system in which voters rank candidates on their ballots. RCV can be used for single-winner elections or multi-winner elections; when used for multi-winner elections, the system has also been called single-transferable vote or proportional representation. These terms were often used to describe multi-winner RCV before the 1970s. You can learn more about ranked-choice voting systems and policies here.
Local RCV ballot measures
Between 1965 and October 2025, 80 ranked-choice voting (RCV) local ballot measures were on the ballot in 59 jurisdictions in 19 states.
- Ballotpedia has located 72 local ballot measures to adopt RCV. Voters approved 57 (79.2%) and rejected 15 (20.8%).
- There were eight local ballot measures to repeal RCV. Voters approved four (50.0%) and rejected four (50.0%).
- The year with the most local RCV ballot measures was 2022, when nine were on the ballot in nine jurisdictions. Voters approved seven of them.
- The state with the most local ballot measures related to RCV is California, where there have been 13.
The following table shows the number of ranked-choice voting measures by policy direction.
| Direction | Total | Approved | Approved (%) | Defeated | Defeated (%) |
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| Adopt RCV | 72 | 57 | 79.2% | 15 | 20.8% |
| Repeal RCV | 8 | 4 | 50.0% | 4 | 50.0% |
| Total | 80 | 61 | 76.3% | 19 | 23.7% |
Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a vote of the Ann Arbor City Council.
See also
External links
Footnotes
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