Rank the Vote Ohio is a statewide nonpartisan nonprofit to improve election integrity and reduce polarization through Instant Runoffs with Ranked Choice Voting (RCV). Founded by a politically diverse group of volunteers in 2020, Rank the Vote Ohio educates fellow Buckeyes about RCV and its benefits in order to achieve our mission of “greater choice, a stronger voice, and a representative democracy that works for all Ohioans." Through in-person and online outreach, including regional chapters, we're increasing our volunteers, donations, and endorsements to show that Instant Runoffs are possible in Ohio. We've gained thousands of supporters, including bipartisan support in the Ohio Statehouse, but RCV will probably require a ballot initiative like in other states. We need to keep raising awareness and support so that a ballot initiative can be possible!

As of July 2024, Rank the Vote Ohio has nearly 19,000 registered supporters from all over our state. You can add your name here.

Executive Director: Denise Riley grew up in North Ridgeville and now lives with her family in Monroe County. She received her bachelor’s in nursing from Kent State University. In 2015, Denise was elected to the School Board of Switzerland of Ohio Local School District, and served for 4 years (2 as board president). Denise joined Rank The Vote Ohio's Volunteer Mobilization and Onboarding Team in 2020 and led various teams as a volunteer before she was appointed as Executive Director in July 2024.

Volunteer Mobilization and Phonebank Lead: Dani Morris discovered Rank the Vote Ohio in 2022 and knew immediately that Ranked Choice Voting was something that could help Ohio immensely. As a longtime poll worker and activist with various organizations, she understands that it takes a clear vision and strong network-building to achieve our goals. A lifelong Columbus resident, she earned her bachelor's degree in Journalism from The Ohio State University. Dani has mainly volunteered with the Volunteer Mobilization and Onboarding team and is an active member of the Central Chapter. "RCV empowers people to vote their conscience without worrying about spoiler candidates or whether a candidate is considered electable."

Volunteer Onboarding Lead: TJ Parker joined Rank the Vote Ohio in 2021 as a way to live their values of civic participation and betterment. Parker started on the Volunteer Onboarding and Mobilization Team, and now leads the Volunteer Onboarding function. With a background in analysis, process improvement, and presentation, they bring the organization the ability to interface with many skillsets and spot opportunities for growth. "RCV really is a simple upgrade! It produces better results without making voting any harder than it already is."

Central Ohio Chapter Lead: Grace Leng started volunteering with Rank the Vote Ohio after the 2020 Election, with hope to ease polarization and to create more meaningful choices. Grace has been civically active in the Ohio Asian American community and has led or supported efforts increasing awareness of Asian American history, promoting voter participation, and community services. Professionally, Grace is a data scientist. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Investment Economics and a Master’s in Applied Economics from the University of Cincinnati. She has been calling Columbus home since 2005. Grace believes that “Ranked Choice Voting is the common sense solution to the dysfunction of our current voting system. It provides the right incentives to politicians to cooperate with each other and replace partisan squabbling with pragmatic solutions to real issues.”

Regional Organizer for Central Ohio: Debbie Schaffner grew up and currently lives in Baltimore, Ohio. She received her Bachelor's from The Ohio State University. Debbie currently serves on the Village of Baltimore Village Council and the Basil Joint Fire District Fire Board. She is also active as an AARP volunteer, advocating for public policies that benefit Ohioans 50 and over. Debbie joined Rank The Vote Ohio in January 2023 as a volunteer and now continues to volunteer alongside her duties as Regional Organizer. "I'm behind Ranked Choice Voting because it ensures that officeholders are elected by a majority, voters are more informed by non-toxic campaigning, and third party candidates receive a fair chance."

Regional Organizer for Northeast Ohio: Michelle B. Jackson is a community organizer and ACTivator residing in Cleveland’s Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood. Her driving mission is to strengthen democracy by mobilizing people to take a more pronounced role in civic and electoral endeavors. Over the past seven years Michelle has worked on both political campaigns and grassroots, nonpartisan initiatives including voter registration and education projects. Michelle sees RCV as a democracy building tool that has the potential to get more voters to the polls. The promise of RCV is that it favors the people’s choices over those of a political party through a process that is more democratic for both voters and candidates.

State Speaker Lead & Regional Organizer for Southwest Ohio: Andi Van Sickle has been active in the community, working in leadership roles for a variety of non-profit organizations since 2013. Her expertise includes community outreach, event organizing, speaking, educating, technical internal organization and more. She has worked with organizations and campaigns at local, state, and national levels. She believes “Ranked Choice Voting not only gives voters access to more candidates on their ballot but ensures that the winning candidate has the majority support from their constituents.” 

Voter Advocacy Liaison: Kristen Beireis has volunteered for Rank the Vote Ohio since its founding in 2020 and has served in several leadership positions. She currently serves as the Voter Advocacy Liaison supporting statewide coalitions working on voter advocacy and reform. Kristen's background is in marketing, nonprofit programs, volunteer coordination, and community organizing. Residing in the Dayton, Ohio area, you can also find her singing in choir, performing in community theatre, and hiking. Kristen believes "Ranked Choice Voting is the key to bringing Ohioans together. When voters feel their voices are heard at the ballot box and campaigns are about policy instead of divisiveness, we can find common ground, and so can our representatives." 

Tech & Data Lead: Troy Carter has been an IT professional for 20 years, including 15 in IT management. He has two children that mean the world to him, and they are the reason he decided to get involved in making our world better. Troy learned about Ranked Choice Voting years ago and started to keep an eye on the local activist groups, and when he saw momentum building with Rank The Vote Ohio in 2022, he knew the first step in making a difference was to show up to a meeting and see what they were doing. From that single meeting, he got to meet some really great people that are doing some really great things. Now he's looking to take all of the lessons he's learned in working in large enterprise-level IT shops and bringing some of those best practices to Rank The Vote Ohio. "I have learned that the best way to improve a system is to focus on repeatable systematic policy improvements. Ranked Choice Voting provides every voter with more options, removes the plurality-winner problem of our current voting system, and brings people closer together instead of pushing them further apart. Ranked Choice Voting gives the population a larger voice to speak to our representatives."

Policy & Research Lead: Bryce Dawson is a third-year student in the combined Master of Public Administration & Bachelor of Public Policy Analysis program at The Ohio State University. Bryce grew up in Delaware, Ohio, where he attended BS Troop 61 and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He applied to be Rank the Vote Ohio's first intern after hearing about it at WOSU's Dialogue on Rethinking Elections in November 2022. Bryce advocates for Instant Runoffs because "Ohio voters deserve to have their voice heard; Ranked Choice Voting offers the opportunity to lower the political temperature and elect candidates who more closely reflect voter preferences."

Communications Lead: Rami Mohamed never wanted to get involved with politics, but after watching our representatives become less representative and accountable decided to help change that. He learned about Rank The Vote Ohio in 2022 and decided to start doing everything he could to spread the word and make Instant Runoffs a reality again in Ohio. Rami's work in electrical engineering, logistics, merchandise, animal care, and natural resources conservation, research, and monitoring led him to understand how important it is to be able to communicate with individuals from a diverse set of backgrounds and understanding. "I want the state that I love to have representatives that accurately represent the voices and choices of all Ohioans, and RCV gives that power to the voters!  It's simple, it's easy and it gives the power back to the people so that our government works for us. The history of RCV in Ohio, especially in my hometown Toledo, shows not only is RCV nothing new to us Ohioans but that it can truly benefit us all!"

Senior Advisor: Kyle Herman co-founded Rank the Vote Ohio in 2020 and has served in various volunteer and leadership positions. Kyle's previous experience includes managing pro-democracy programs in Iraq and Lebanon, responding to letters for the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence, and teaching high school history and civics. In 2023, Kyle was elected to serve his hometown in a nonpartisan seat on Stow City Council. Kyle earned degrees from Ohio Wesleyan University and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.