• Hudson's Charter Review Commission (CRC) is seeking citizen input, which gives residents an opportunity to voice their support for Ranked Choice Voting (RCV).
• RCV is a simple upgrade to the way we vote that's increasingly popular in other cities and states as a way to give voters more choices while upholding majority rule.
• You can use this form to give your input by April 30, and choose Section Number 7.03 Elections from the dropdown menu: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/b1a9b09f0bde466e9256845aacbe8082.

Hudson's elections are nonpartisan, and RCV could help incentivize Hudson's elected officials to prioritize working together on local nonpartisan issues instead of engaging in divisive partisanship. Two Hudson Councilmembers from different parties have already spoken to Hudson's CRC about their bipartisan support for RCV.

RCV solves a problem with Ohio's current election system that has already affected Hudson: Ohio's current pick-one plurality-wins system limits voters' choices and fails to require a majority to win. In 2019, a four-way race for Hudson City Council was won with only 38.76% of votes, meaning more than 61% of voters preferred other candidates. RCV solves this problem by requiring a majority to win. If no candidate receives more than 50%, RCV enables an Instant Runoff: The lowest-performing candidate is eliminated, and if they were your first choice, your vote will simply transfer to your second choice instead of being wasted. This is similar to how other cities and states use traditional runoffs, but instead of having an expensive and wasteful low-turnout special election, RCV gives you the freedom to express your backup choices on a single ballot so they can be counted automatically if a runoff is necessary.

Hudson's CRC meetings are open to the public at City Hall (1140 Terex Rd), and residents are invited to give public comment in-person or email questions to [email protected]. You can share or draw ideas from Rank the Vote Ohio's Guide for Charter Amendments. The next few meetings are scheduled for 7pm on April 16, May 7, & June 4. If Hudson's CRC recommends a charter amendment for RCV, then Hudson's Council will decide whether to allow Hudson's voters to vote on whether they are ready for more choice and more voice with RCV.

Sign below for updates and invite your friends from Hudson:

Instant Runoffs with Ranked Choice Voting simply require a majority to win, while giving all voters more choice and more voice so that you can vote for your true favorite without feeling like your vote is wasted. When you have backup choices, more parties and candidates can run because you don't have to worry about "spoilers" and you can have more confidence that your vote will actually matter. Political toxicity decreases when candidates have to focus on problem-solving and finding common ground to win a majority instead of simply attacking the "other side" as the greater evil. So you can vote your hopes, not your fears!

Our team is working with allies on potential ballot language, but in the meantime we need to build our list to show the political class that Ohioans want Ranked Choice Voting in Ohio. Please sign here and spread awareness by inviting your friends!