Ohio Senate passes bill to ban ranked choice voting

SANDUSKY — The Ohio Senate has passed a bill by state Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, to ban ranked choice voting in Ohio. Wednesday's 27-5 vote sends the measure to the Ohio House for further action. In ranked choice voting, voters don't just choose one candidate for office but rank all of the listed candidates in order of preference. Candidates are eliminated until a winner emerges with a majority of votes. Proponents argue that ranked choice voting gives voters more choice, giving them a chance to elect a candidate they can live with if their first choice is eliminated, but Gavarone isn't a fan. "During my time in the General Assembly, I've worked to improve transparency and voter confidence in our elections. Ranked choice voting clouds transparency and undermines the public's faith in the way Ohio runs elections," Gavarone said. "Ranked choice voting has been a disaster in other states, delaying results, decreasing turnout, creating confusion among voters, and diluting their voices at the ballot box," she said. The five state senators who voted against Gavarone's bill, all Democrats, were Willis E. Blackshear Jr. of Dayton, Beth Liston of Dublin, Casey Weinstein of Hudson, Paula Hicks-Hudson of Toledo and Kent Smith of Euclid. Local area lawmakers voted for the bill, including state Sen. Bill Reineke, R-Tiffin, and state Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville, as well as Gavarone herself. As the measure has just been sent to the Ohio House, it hasn't been assigned to a committee yet. Ranked choice voting has been used in some U.S. cities, but it has been rejected in state ballot issues in seven states: Massachusetts, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Montana and Oregon.