LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – A grassroots group is working to bring ranked choice voting to Michigan. The organization Rank MI Vote recently launched a statewide petition campaign aiming to place the initiative on the November 2026 ballot.
Rank MI Vote, which began in 2019, is a volunteer-led organization advocating for an election system that allows voters to rank candidates by preference, first choice, second choice, and so on. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and those votes are redistributed until someone reaches more than 50%.
Supporters say the system leads to more representative outcomes, encourages civility on the campaign trail, and gives voters greater power, especially when more than two candidates are in a race.
“Right now, voters lose power if there are more than two candidates,” said Pat Zabawa, executive director of Rank MI Vote. “Ranked choice voting ensures that a winning candidate has majority support. That means more candidates can step forward, and voters get more voice in the process.”
The campaign is aiming to collect hundreds of thousands of signatures by early next year to qualify for the 2026 general election ballot. Volunteers have already begun canvassing events across the state, including in Marquette, Escanaba, and Sault Ste. Marie.
“We’re a campaign of Michiganders for Michigan,” Zabawa said. “It’s exciting to see people walk up to us and say, ‘You’re working to make our state better, I want to sign.’”
Ranked choice voting is already used statewide in Maine and Alaska and in local elections across the country, including New York City and parts of Utah, Virginia, and California.
More information, including where to sign or volunteer, is available at rankmivote.org
