State Rep. Rachelle Smit on Wednesday secured House passage of her plan, House Bill 4707, to ban Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in Michigan. Smit, who leads the House Elections Integrity Committee, said RCV is a confusing and chaotic process that would undermine public confidence in elections, disenfranchise voters, and cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars to implement.

“My years as a township clerk taught me that clear, straightforward election rules are the only way to maintain public trust,” said Smit, R-Martin. “Ranked Choice Voting, with its rounds of counting and reallocation, only breeds skepticism – especially when every close contest invites lawsuits and recount battles. Michigan doesn’t need ballot-box gymnastics. We need integrity, clarity, and confidence, which are all qualities Ranked Choice Voting cannot deliver.”

Under RCV, voters are asked to rank candidates in order of preference. If no one wins a majority, the last-place candidates are eliminated in rounds, and their votes are redistributed until a winner emerges.

“This may sound interesting in theory – but in practice, it’s a logistical nightmare,” Smit said. “Ranked Choice Voting creates serious confusion at the ballot box. Studies and real-world elections have shown that Ranked Choice Voting disproportionately impacts minority voters and those who don’t vote in every election. Instead of empowering voters, Ranked Choice Voting risks silencing them. It doesn’t strengthen democracy; it weakens it. Ranked Choice Voting has no place in Michigan.”

The legislation now moves to the Senate for further consideration.

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