Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative (November 1974)
| Ann Arbor Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative | |
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| Topic Local charter amendments and Local elections and campaigns |
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| Type Initiative |
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Ann Arbor Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative was on the ballot as an initiative in Ann Arbor on November 5, 1974. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported establishing a ranked choice voting electoral system for mayoral elections. |
A "no" vote opposed establishing a ranked choice voting electoral system for mayoral elections. |
Election results
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Ann Arbor Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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17,405 | 52.55% | ||
| No | 15,715 | 47.45% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative was as follows:
| “ | CHARTER AMENDMENT PROPOSAL Shall the City Charter be amended to provide that the Mayor shall be elected by a majority of voters, by permitting each voter to designate a first preference and subsequent preferences; so that if no candidate receives a majority of first preferences, then the candidate with the fewest such votes is eliminated and secondary preferences of the voters for that candidate are counted instead, the process being repeated until one candidate receives a majority of valid votes? | ” |
Background
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 2024, 79 ranked-choice voting (RCV) local ballot measures were on the ballot in 58 jurisdictions in 19 states.
- Ballotpedia has located 71 local ballot measures to adopt RCV. Voters approved 52 (78.9%) and rejected 15 (21.1%).
- 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 topic.
| Local ranked-choice vote measures by topic and outcome, 1965 - April 2025 | |||||
| Topic | Total | Approved | Approved (%) | Defeated | Defeated (%) |
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| Adopt RCV | 72 | 57 | 79.2% | 15 | 20.08% |
| Repeal RCV | 8 | 4 | 50.0% | 4 | 50.0% |
| Total | 80 | 61 | 76.3% | 19 | 23.7% |
Path to the ballot
This measure was placed on the ballot by a successful citizen initiative. The initiative made the ballot in August 1974, and was supported by the Human Rights Party.[1]
See also
External links
Footnotes
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State of Michigan Lansing (capital) |
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