2024 Annual Report

Background: Rank the Vote Ohio (RTVO) was founded by volunteers in 2020 as a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan nonprofit organization for the purpose of educating Ohioans about Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) and its benefits.

Mission: “To give voters greater choice, a stronger voice, and a representative democracy that works for all Ohioans.”

Executive Director: Denise Riley

Board Members: Chris Anderson, Kyle Herman, Grace Leng, Torika Thompson, Dan Zavon

Summary: In 2024, RTVO focused on assisting local initiatives for RCV, worked to broaden the ideological diversity of our supporter base, and raised $40,000 from in-state contributions to reach a matching goal and become more financially self-sufficient. For 2025, RTVO expects even more opportunities to support local initiatives, anticipates continued defense against attempts to ban RCV, and plans to restructure and decentralize in order to be more authentically grassroots-driven and responsive to citizens and communities in Ohio that want to pursue RCV.

Progress in 2024: 

Increased from 16,000 to more than 20,000 registered supporters. While RTVO’s funding for organizers decreased from 2023, and our focus shifted away from statewide list-building and toward more focused outreach to certain communities, our organizers and volunteers were still able to recruit more than 4,300 new supporters through canvassing, tabling, presentations, and online outreach and social media.

Raised more than $40,000 from in-state donations. RTVO was offered a matching grant from an anonymous donor in February 2024, with a goal to raise $40,000 in order to unlock a matching grant for $40,000 by December 15. Through various fundraising tactics including email blasts, dialing-for-dollars, textbanking, grant-writing, in-person events (like “rank your beers” parties), and personal asks, RTVO was able to surpass the goal, with $42,613 raised from nearly 200 individuals during the grant period.

Helped advance charter amendments for RCV to consideration by three city councils:

• Cleveland Heights: RCV was recommended by the Charter Review Commission (CRC) and is still under consideration by Council for if/when they will put an amendment on the ballot.

• Lakewood: RCV was recommended by the CRC and is still under consideration by Council for if/when they will put an amendment on the ballot.

• Riverside: A majority of Council (including the Mayor, who serves as the presiding officer) voted to put a charter amendment for RCV on the ballot, however they later realized that because they had not followed the formal CRC process, they would have needed a supermajority to put the amendment on the ballot. Additionally, the Mayor and Council received unclear feedback from the Montgomery County Board of Elections about whether the Board would update its machines with software to facilitate RCV.

Defended against two ban bills at the Ohio Statehouse. RTVO mobilized disciplined opposition to SB 137 (a bill to “generally prohibit” RCV and financially punish cities that use it) during hearings held by the Senate General Government Committee in February and April. In total, more than 60 individuals or organizations submitted opponent testimony (most of whom were individual Ohioans), compared to only 14 proponents (most of whom were out-of-state lobbyists). We received positive coverage on Toledo’s local 13 Action News after the February hearing. We sent a follow-up to members of the committee addressing questions raised during their April 24 hearing, and the bill remained stalled in committee.

In November, HB 684 was introduced and referred to the House Government Oversight Committee, with sponsor testimony on November 20. RTVO contacted all the committee members prior to the meeting to offer ourselves as a resource and to flag that the Statehouse’s Legislative Service Commission had warned that HB 684 was unconstitutional because its outright ban of RCV at the city level was contrary to Ohio Supreme Court precedents that upheld municipalities’ home rule authority to use RCV. Several of the committee members raised questions to the sponsors about the constitutionality of this infringement on home rule, and one of the sponsors responded that perhaps they should do a constitutional amendment so the whole state could vote to ban RCV.

Ideologically-diverse coalition-building. RTVO made a conscious effort to try to reach an ideologically diverse array of voters, with recognition that Ohio seemed to be a center-right state in recent elections. We tried to find places with conservative audiences to help keep our outreach ideologically diverse. Our public messaging and social media is nonpartisan, but frequently features conservative supporters and conservative arguments for RCV. RTVO helped organize the first theatrical screening of Majority Rules in Ohio and attempted to recruit open-minded conservatives to learn about how RCV worked in red Alaska, where it has broad bipartisan support within its state legislature. RTVO’s September Statewide Meeting focused on a panel of leaders from nonpartisan civic groups about how to bridge divides in partisan times. Our Featured Speaker for our October Statewide Meeting was a Republican who had served as County Commissioner in Seneca County. RTVO helped arrange for former Utah Republican Party Chair Stan Lockhart to meet with Republican leaders in Cincinnati. Riverside's Mayor and another Republican joined two Democratic Councilmembers to vote in favor of putting their charter amendment for RCV on the ballot. 

Priorities for 2025:

Advise municipal campaigns for RCV. Without a visible path to a statewide ballot initiative in the foreseeable future (unless a hero emerges with the tens of millions of dollars that ballot initiatives cost), RTVO will focus on assisting local initiatives by providing charter review commissions, city councils, civic groups, and the general public with education, advice, and connections with potential allies. In addition to building upon RTVO’s progress in 2024 with Cleveland Heights, Lakewood, and Riverside, RTVO will hold its January Statewide Meeting in conjunction with an in-person Cincinnati Chapter Launch to build a grassroots team to work with the Charter Committee of Cincinnati as they lead a signature-collection campaign for RCV. RTVO is also seeking opportunities to present RCV for consideration by charter review commissions and councils in other cities.

Defend against further attempts to ban RCV. While RTVO was able to help stall SB 137 and HB 684 until they expired at the end of the 2024, we expect ban bills to be reintroduced in some form in 2025 because partisan oligarchs are deeply invested in attempts to ban RCV. RTVO plans to monitor such bills and mobilize testimony against them with disciplined messaging similar to the testimony given by volunteers in 2024.

Reorganize structurally to be more grassroots-driven than donor-driven. We are grateful to the major donor for giving us the $40,000 matching challenge to encourage RTVO to become more self-sufficient by focusing on raising in-state funding in 2024. We are also grateful for the advice and consultations we received through our relationship with the donor. For most of 2023 and 2024, Rank the Vote Ohio’s leadership tried to align organizational messaging strategically in accordance with “insider” political analysis in an attempt to avoid provoking hostility from legislators and in attempt to avoid “unforced errors” that could harm a future statewide initiative. We now understand that in order to be a more truly self-sustaining grassroots organization, RTVO needs to decentralize its leadership so that major decisions can be made more collectively by grassroots supporters, while accountability mechanisms must also be developed to facilitate an environment of trust based on informed, strategic, and action-oriented cooperation among members. We plan to invite all supporters to a “Fun, Food, and Friendship” community-building social retreat in February 2025. This will be followed by a Volunteer Strategy Forum in March, for which we plan to hire a professional facilitator to guide us through a democratic process to brainstorm ideas to make Rank the Vote Ohio more authentically grassroots and membership-driven.

2024 Finances: 

Total Revenue: $125,748.25

Total Expenditures: $48,887.61

Organizers: $40,000.00

Outreach activities: $6,882.81

Administrative: $2,004.80

After receiving and spending $80,000 from an anonymous donor to hire Organizers and launch regional chapters in 2023, RTVO received $40,000 from Anonymous in February 2024 along with an offer to match up to $40,000 raised by December 15. This was double the $20,000 RTVO raised from grassroots supporters in 2023. While RTVO had exponentially grown its supporter list through live outreach in 2023, RTVO retained less organizers and was more conservative with its spending in 2024. With the lower budget, RTVO spent more time and energy focused on fundraising to reach the matching goal so that RTVO could afford to retain organizers in 2025 – amidst uncertainty over whether more consistent funding sources could be identified. RTVO explored and applied for various grants, ultimately receiving $5,000 from the Cincinnati-based Murray & Agnes Seasongood Foundation, which we put toward the organizer hired in October to lead and grow a Cincinnati Chapter.

View RTVO's 2023 Form 990

Special Thanks to Major Donors: 

Murray & Agnes Seasongood Foundation: $5,000

Dan Zavon: $5,000 

Evan & Jackie Williams Family Fund: $4,000

Michael Cristal: $2,500

Grace Leng and Scott Ellis: $1,500

Mike Ahern: $1,000

https://www.cleveland.com/community/2024/08/cleveland-heights-charter-remains-under-review-with-sights-on-next-years-ballot.html

https://www.cleveland.com/community/2024/08/lakewood-charter-review-commission-recommendations-include-ranked-choice-voting.html

https://www.daytondailynews.com/ideas-voices/voices-ranked-choice-voting-a-proven-improvement-to-the-way-we-vote/327XKFLVJ5HUTIEMCFIFOUAD3I/

https://www.daytondailynews.com/ideas-voices/voices-as-riverside-considers-charter-amendment-meaningful-conversations-more-important-than-ever/BKEY4H2JHBHMBCLF2G4MI5YG6M/

https://www.daytondailynews.com/ideas-voices/what-is-ranked-choice-voting-and-can-it-improve-our-elections/V6XTUJYZ2FAA5L4BYQDFBJDQMQ/

https://www.daytondailynews.com/ideas-voices/marcano-ranked-choice-voting-offers-clear-advantages-and-faces-stiff-opposition/ZN5ONFF4V5D2LG3ZLIAHRR2U3E/

https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/12/29/out-of-state-conservative-organizations-lead-charge-to-ban-ranked-choice-voting-in-ohio/

news.wosu.org/show/all-sides/2023-11-07/the-future-of-voting-in-ohio

cleveland.com/news/2023/10/former-sen-rob-portman-ranked-choice-voting-other-primary-election-reforms-could-reduce-political-polarization.html

wvxu.org/show/cincinnati-edition/2023-10-09/history-ranked-choice-voting-ohio-theresa-gavarone

ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/09/29/ohio-senators-consider-election-law-changes-to-close-primaries-prohibit-ranked-choice-voting

cleveland.com/opinion/2023/09/can-ranked-choice-voting-catch-mice-gene-krebs.html

nbc4i.com/news/your-local-election-hq/ohio-lawmaker-seeks-to-ban-ranked-choice-voting-as-republican-opposition-to-the-system-mounts

https://www.newsbreak.com/news/3107841539799-editorial-ranked-choice-feared

SB 63 not only bans Ranked Choice Voting – it takes power away from voters and let Statehouse politicians dictate how our communities are run.

Click here to sign and share the petition to protect Home Rule for Ohio communities!

Background: 

• A bill introduced in the Ohio Senate, SB 63, is part of a national disinformation campaign designed to prevent localities from making elections more free and fair with Ranked Choice Voting (RCV).
• As SB 63 acknowledges, RCV simply uses an instant runoff process to allow more parties/candidates to run, while requiring a majority to win.
• Ohio's current plurality-wins system is causing Ohioans to lose faith in democracy because it limits voter choices and fails to require a majority to win.
• Banning RCV at the local level threatens the Home Rule Authority granted by the Ohio Constitution for local governments to make decisions based on their local needs and not a one-size-fits-all approach dictated by State Government.
• SB 63 was introduced by a Republican from a deep red district at the urging of far-right megadonors and is co-sponsored by a Democrat from a deep blue district who also fears fair competition.

Key messages for public education and educating decision-makers:

• SB 63 is big government overreach: Banning RCV for local elections violates the spirit of Ohioans’ right to self-government through Home Rule.
• RCV = majority rule and improved elections: RCV means candidates win with support from a majority of voters. It mitigates the “spoiler effect” and rewards more positive, more issues-focused campaigning.
• RCV strengthens winning candidates. Election winners can lead with confidence because they’ve won a majority of support. Some state parties like Virginia Republicans use RCV to elect stronger nominees with broader appeal.
• Voters – including Republicans – like and understand RCV: Over 80% of voters in Alaska & Utah found RCV “simple” and “easy” after using it. A majority of Virginia Republicans who used RCV in the 2022 primaries said they preferred RCV.
• RCV is a 100-year-old Ohio-grown voting system: Five Ohio cities used RCV in the last century before repeal efforts were led by corrupt politicians and party bosses. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled in 1923 that Ohio municipalities and charter counties have a right to use RCV.
• Ohioans – including conservatives – support Home Rule and small government: Classic conservatives believe Home Rule for local self-government is sacred because decisions impacting local communities should be made at the level closest to The People.
• Banning RCV for municipal elections would harm urban Republicans: Major Ohio cities effectively have one-party rule, but RCV would allow more Republicans, Independents, and other candidates across the political spectrum to compete.

Republican opposition to similar bills in other states:

• North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum: "If we truly believe in limited government and local control, we can begin by honoring the boundaries, intent and spirit of home rule charters, especially when there is no evidence of any harm having occurred from trusting the residents of cities to have self-determination within the bounds of their home rule charters."
• Montana Rep. George Nikolakakos: “It’s very simple. It’s very easy… It’s passed in Maine. It’s passed in Alaska. It’s passed in states where people still have an independent mind like we do in Montana … Independent-minded people like Ranked Choice Voting... and we should not override local control for a type of voting that is basically just an instant runoff.”
• Montana Rep. Paul Green: “I don’t believe that I have the capacity to tell another local community how they go about their elections. For that I’m gonna be a No.”

Responding to misinformation:

RCV is simple, not confusing

• 92% of Minneapolis voters said RCV is simple. 
• 85% of Alaska voters reported that RCV is “simple” in their first RCV election.
• 81% of Utah voters said RCV is easy in their first RCV election.

RCV is driven by the grassroots in Ohio, not outside interests.

• RCV has been supported for years by politically diverse volunteers in Ohio.
• Opposition to RCV is pushed by out-of-state special interests.

RCV is in line with the Founders’ intentions and “one person, one vote.”

• Our Constitution and laws have always left election rules up to states and municipalities. These are “laboratories of democracy,” and the way we’ve run elections has changed over the years.
• Our Founders intended to create a system of governance by consensus, which would be helped by majority-wins elections, and they warned against the two-party factionalism that evolved from plurality-wins elections.
• RCV has been upheld as "one person, one vote" every time it has been legally challenged. Your one vote may simply transfer to your next choice, like in a runoff, without having another election because you already list your backup choices. As the League of Women Voters explains, RCV actually upholds "one person, one vote" better than plurality-wins elections because your vote is more likely to help elect a winner instead of being wasted.

RCV results can be determined quickly and transparently. 

• The majority of RCV jurisdictions – including Utah cities, Minneapolis, and San Francisco – release RCV results the night of or day after the election.
• Where results have been slower, it has been a result of state policy and choices made by local election administrators to allow time for absentee ballots to come in, which has nothing to do with RCV. The actual RCV tabulation takes seconds. 
• RCV results can be counted or verified through a hand count. The Virginia GOP used paper ballots for RCV contests in 2021 and 2022.

Further Reading:

Coverage of SB 63 in the news: Sandusky Register (2/5/25)

Coverage of the 2023-2024 version of this bill (SB 137) in the news: Cleveland Plain Dealer article (7/21/23), Statehouse News Bureau article (7/25/23), WVXU analysis (7/26/23), Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial (7/30/23), Toledo Blade Editorial (8/1/23), NBC4 story (8/2/23), WVXU Story (10/9/23), Ohio Capital Journal article (12/29/23), WTVG 13 Action News video (2/21/24), Rolling Stone article (2/29/24)

Conservative pushback against attacks on RCV: Former Sen. Rob Portman, Former Ohio Rep. Gene Krebs, Kevin Kosar of the American Enterprise Institute, Matt Germer of the R Street Institute, Jonathan Bydlak of the R Street Institute, Walter Olson of the CATO Institute, former State GOP Chairs Saul Anuzis & Stan Lockhart

Click here to sign and share the petition to defend Ohio communities from big government overreach!

cleveland.com/opinion/2023/07/ranked-choice-voting-works-in-some-other-states-in-ohio-its-fodder-for-a-publicity-stunt-editorial.html

wvxu.org/politics/2023-07-26/analysis-ohio-republicans-ban-rank-choice-voting

statenews.org/government-politics/2023-07-25/republican-lawmaker-proposes-stripping-money-from-ohio-communities-that-pass-ranked-choice-voting