Ferndale, Michigan, Proposal B, Ranked-Choice Voting Measure (November 2004)
| Ferndale 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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Ferndale Proposal B was on the ballot as a referral in Ferndale on November 2, 2004. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported adopting ranked-choice voting, also known as instant-runoff voting, for the election of mayor and council members. |
A "no" vote supported adopting ranked-choice voting, also known as instant-runoff voting, for the election of mayor and council members. |
Election results
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Ferndale Proposal B |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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6,522 | 69.75% | ||
| No | 2,828 | 30.25% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Proposal B was as follows:
| “ | Proposal B Proposed Amendment to Ferndale City Charter Chapter IV, Section 17 This amendment provides for the election of mayor and council members by majority vote using an instant run-off voting procedure of counting votes as soon as the City acquires voting machine equipment, approved by the City Election Commission, to implement this amendment. Voters shall designate first preferences and subsequent preferences; if no candidate receives a majority, the candidate with fewest first preferences is eliminated and the secondary preferences for that candidate are recounted until a candidate receives a majority who shall be elected to office. Shall the Ferndale charter, Chapter IV, Section 17 be amended as proposed? | ” |
Support
Supporters
- Mayor Robert Porter[1]
- Councilmember Scott Galloway[1]
- Councilmember Helen Marie Weber[1]
- Councilmember Craig Covey[1]
- Ferndale Democratic Club[1]
- Michigan Green Party[1]
- Michigan Libertarian Party[1]
- The Detroit Free Press[1]
- The Oakland Press[1]
Opposition
Ballotpedia did not locate a campaign in opposition to the ballot measure.
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 referred to the ballot by the Ferndale City Council.
See also
External links
Footnotes
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State of Michigan Lansing (capital) |
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