East Lansing voters give the nod to ranked choice voting

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 8 — East Lansing voters passed ranked choice voting yesterday by 52% , 2,810 votes to 2,544, to highlight a day of big changes. 

These changes included three new City Council members elected for four-year terms: Kerry Ebersole Singh with 23% (3,376 votes), former Mayor Mark Meadows with 16% (2,413), and former City Council member Erik Altmann  with 16% (2,325). 

They will join  City Council members Dana Watson and George Brookover as they fill the seats being vacated by Mayor Ron Bacon, Mayor Pro Tem Jessy Gregg and Noel Garcia Jr., who was appointed to fill a vacancy earlier this year. 

Daniel Bollman polled fourth at 16% (2,283 votes), followed by incumbent Garcia Jr. (11%, 1,536), Joshua Ramirez-Roberts (6%, 918), Rebecca Kasen (6%, 903) and Chris Wardell (6%, 841). 

Ranked choice voting, also known as instant runoff voting, gives voters the option to rank candidates in order of preference instead of having to cast “all or nothing” votes for just one or a few candidates from a larger pool. Advocates say it promotes more representative outcomes and gives more power to voters. 

According to the ballot language, the ranked choice decision will only take effect if or when the Michigan Bureau of Elections “certifies the process for the use of ranked choice voting beginning in the election of 2023, or such subsequent odd year election once the conditions of a certified process are satisfied, the city council shall be elected in the manner prescribed in this section.”

This system would have been particularly impactful in this year’s City Council race, because ranked choice voting is most effective in larger races with more than two candidates. The current system allowed voters to pick up to three of the eight candidates, making the results more top-heavy than they would have been, had ranked choice been in play.  

Voters  struck down two other ballot proposals, with 52% (2,782) opposed to expanding the City Council from five to seven seats, and 61% (3,226) deciding against delaying the date at which new Council members can take their oath of office to the first Tuesday following Jan. 1 of the following calendar year. 

The swearing-in process for Ebersole Singh, Meadows and Altmann has yet to be set, according to City Council assistant Tammy Verchereau, who said they are awaiting the certification process before that decision could be made, and that an update may be available as soon as tomorrow.

East Lansing’s turnout of just under 24% was fairly strong for an off-year election, with 5,477 of 22,847 registered voters hitting the polls. In 2021, the city’s turnout was 20.45%. For comparison, the turnout in Lansing for this year’s election was 16.31% in its City Council at-large race.