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Statewide Ballot Initiative Strategy Planning
Statewide Ballot Initiative Strategy Planning
Help shape the future of Ranked Choice Voting in Ohio
📅 Saturday, September 26, 2026
🕑 2:00 PM
📍 Hybrid Meeting — Hilliard Library (Columbus) + Zoom
The next chapter starts with you.
For six years, Rank The Vote Ohio supporters have been building a movement for a better democracy. We’ve grown from a small group of volunteers into a statewide community of nearly 30,000 supporters.
Now, we are preparing for the next phase of our work.
A successful statewide ballot initiative will require thoughtful strategy, strong partnerships, dedicated volunteers, and a clear plan. At this meeting, supporters will come together to help shape the goals, priorities, and strategies that will guide RTVO moving forward.
Your voice matters.
This is an opportunity to help answer important questions:
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What will it take to build a statewide movement?
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What goals should we set for the coming years?
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How do we grow our supporters, volunteers, and coalition partners?
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What steps will move us closer to making Ranked Choice Voting a reality in Ohio?
Whether you have been involved with RTVO for years or are just getting started, we want you at the table.
Join us as we build the path forward for Ranked Choice Voting in Ohio.
WHENSeptember 26, 2026 at 2:00pm11 rsvps rsvpWHEREHilliard branch Columbus Library and hybrid/zoom (link provided on RSVP)
4500 Hickory Chase Way
Hilliard, OH 43026
United States
Google map and directions -
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Kyle Herman published Toledo Blade: "Gavarone targets voter choice, democracy" (2/10/25) in In The News 2025-04-21 12:25:24 -0400
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Kyle Herman published A Second Chance For Cincinnati’s Third Party (1/15/25) in In The News 2025-04-21 10:05:55 -0400
A Second Chance For Cincinnati’s Third Party (1/15/25)
New Charter Committee leaders think the time is right to return to Murray Seasongood’s good government principles from 100 years ago by bringing back Ranked Choice Voting: https://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/article/a-second-chance-for-cincinnatis-third-party/
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Kyle Herman published Sign for Updates on RCV in Riverside in Sign to Support RCV 2025-04-21 08:07:00 -0400
Sign for Updates on Ranked Choice Voting in Riverside
Help grow awareness for Ranked Choice Voting in Riverside!
Add signatureA majority of Riverside City Council voted to put a charter amendment for Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) on the ballot in 2024, however they fell short of the necessary supermajority. 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:
Sign below for updates and invite your friends from Riverside:
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Local Initiatives
Support for Ranked Choice Voting has been growing in cities of all sizes across Ohio, including through Charter Review Commissions, City Councils, and Citizen Initiatives. Learn more about recent efforts in each city and sign up for updates:
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Kyle Herman published Sign for Updates on RCV in Cincinnati in Sign to Support RCV 2025-04-21 07:18:37 -0400
Sign for Updates on Ranked Choice Voting in Cincinnati
Help grow awareness for Ranked Choice Voting in Cincinnati!
Add signatureA group of citizens led by the Charter Committee of Cincinnati is exploring a ballot initiative to bring Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) back to Cincinnati!
RCV was used in Cincinnati between 1925 and 1957 before it was repealed because the corrupt party bosses of the time did not like that RCV improved representation for African Americans and for a greater diversity of political views. Cincinnati's Charter Committee, an independent organization founded in 1924, led the 1925 initiative to pass RCV, and is working with other good governance groups like the Murray & Agnes Seasongood Foundation and Ohio Citizen Action to restore RCV 100 years after it originally passed.
Sign below for updates and invite your friends from Cincinnati:
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Kyle Herman published Sign for Updates on RCV in Cleveland Heights in Sign to Support RCV 2025-04-16 08:47:07 -0400
Sign for Updates on Ranked Choice Voting in Cleveland Heights
Help grow awareness for Ranked Choice Voting in Cleveland Heights!
Add signatureRanked Choice Voting (RCV) was recommended by Cleveland Heights' Charter Review Commission (CRC) in 2024, and Cleveland Heights City Council is considering putting a Charter Amendment for RCV on the ballot for the November 2025 Election. 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:
Cleveland Heights' language for RCV is in Section 7.6 of this broader charter amendment (page 3). Their CRC also provided research and analysis in support of their amendment in this report. You can use our Charter Amendments Guide to share ideas with Cleveland Heights City Council.
Sign below for updates and invite your friends from Cleveland Heights:
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Kyle Herman published Sign for Updates on RCV in Kent in Sign to Support RCV 2025-04-15 09:16:37 -0400
Sign for Updates on Ranked Choice Voting in Kent
Help grow awareness for Ranked Choice Voting in Kent!
Add signatureEvery 10 years, the City of Kent convenes a Charter Review Committee (CRC) to study the City Charter (Kent's Constitution) and make recommendations for improvements based on best practices and community feedback. Kent's 2025 CRC has an opportunity to recommend Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) as a way to give voters more choices while upholding majority rule:
Kent residents can give input to Kent's CRC by emailing Kent's Clerk of Council at [email protected]. You can share or draw ideas from Rank the Vote Ohio's Guide for Charter Amendments. If Kent's CRC recommends a Charter Amendment for RCV, then Kent's Council will decide whether to allow Kent'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 Kent:
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Kyle Herman published Sign for Updates on RCV in Hudson in Sign to Support RCV 2025-04-13 08:11:05 -0400
Sign for Updates on Ranked Choice Voting in Hudson
Help grow awareness for Ranked Choice Voting in Hudson!
Add signature- 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:
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Sign for Updates on Ranked Choice Voting in Stow
Help grow awareness for Ranked Choice Voting in Stow!
Add signatureStow's Charter Review Commission (CRC) began discussing Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) during their 4/9/25 meeting. 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:
Try RCV: Rank Stow's Mexican Restaurants (view results)
As reported by the Stow Sunshine Project, Stow's CRC voted to recommend RCV as the "most requested change" of all the ideas the CRC reviewed. Now Stow's Council will decide whether to allow Stow'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 Stow:
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Kyle Herman published Sign for Updates on RCV in Lakewood in Sign to Support RCV 2025-04-10 12:33:23 -0400
Sign for Updates on RCV in Lakewood
Help Rank the Vote Lakewood grow local awareness and support for Ranked Choice Voting!
Follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky
Add signatureRanked Choice Voting (RCV) was recommended by Lakewood's Charter Review Commission (CRC) in 2024, and Lakewood City Council is considering putting a Charter Amendment for RCV on the ballot for the November 2025 Election. 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:
Lakewood's language for RCV is in Article 9 in Exhibit F of their CRC's Final Report (starting in section d on page 16). You can also use our Charter Amendments Guide to share ideas with Lakewood City Council.
Sign below for updates and invite your friends from Lakewood:
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Charter Amendments
Share our Resources for Charter Amendments with Charter Review Commissions and City Councils:
Background: For more than a century, Ohio’s charter cities have exercised their Home Rule Authority under the Ohio Constitution to choose how they elect their own leaders. The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that this includes charter cities’ right to use Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), as several Ohio cities have done. RCV is recommended as a best practice by the National Civic League’s Model City Charter and by the League of Women Voters of Ohio as a more truly free and fair alternative to our current pick-one plurality-wins system. RCV has been used successfully in many jurisdictions and has become increasingly popular in recent years as a way to give voters more choices while upholding majority rule.
About Ranked Choice Voting: RCV is a simple upgrade to our ballots that empowers voters to rank multiple candidates instead of choosing only one. An Instant Runoff ensures the winner has majority support in single-winner races such as mayor or ward seats, and RCV enables Proportional Representation for multi-winner races such as council-at-large.Benefits of RCV: RCV allows more candidates to run without fear of being labeled a ‘spoiler.’ RCV gives voters the freedom to vote for their true first choice without fear of ‘wasting’ their vote or helping the candidate they like least. This strengthens election integrity by giving voters more choices and more confidence that their votes will actually matter. RCV incentivizes politicians to run more civil campaigns and work together for the common good in order to win broad support.
Recent Efforts in Ohio Cities:
- Cleveland Heights: RCV was recommended by their Charter Review Commission (CRC) in 2024 and is still under consideration by their Council for if/when they will put an amendment on the ballot. Cleveland Heights' language for RCV is in Section 7.6 of this broader charter amendment (page 3). Their CRC also provided research and analysis in support of their amendment in this report.
- Lakewood: RCV was recommended by their CRC in 2024 and is still under consideration by their Council for if/when they will put an amendment on the ballot. Lakewood's language for RCV is in Article 9 in Exhibit F of their CRC's Final Report (starting in section d on page 16). Rather than mandating RCV, Lakewood's CRC crafted their amendment to give their Council the option to implement RCV via ordinance (as explained starting on page 8 of their report).
- Cincinnati: The Charter Committee of Cincinnati, an independent organization founded in 1924 to advocate for good government, is exploring a 2025 ballot initiative to bring RCV back to Cincinnati.
- Hudson, Kent, & Stow: These three neighboring cities each convened their CRCs in 2025 and are exploring charter amendments for RCV.
- Riverside: A majority of Council voted to put a charter amendment for RCV on the ballot in 2024, however they fell short of the necessary supermajority.
- University Heights: RCV was recommended by their CRC in 2023 but did not receive enough Council votes to proceed to the ballot.
Resources for Charter Language: In addition to examples from the cities above, our national partner FairVote has model charter language. FairVote’s Legal Roundtable is available as a free resource to review draft language so that they can provide feedback based on their experience assisting other cities.Barriers to RCV: RCV has historically faced opposition from party bosses on both sides who seek to suppress competition. Their main argument is that voters are not smart enough to rank their choices, but this concern has been debunked by the vast majority of voters who have used RCV because they say RCV is “simple” and want to keep using it. Putting a charter amendment for RCV on the ballot simply empowers voters to decide if they are ready to rank their choices.
Responding to State-Level Ban Bills: Politicians from deep red and deep blue districts have introduced legislation attempting to ban RCV, however, analysts have pointed out that such legislation is unlikely to pass or to withstand legal challenges because it violates the Ohio Constitution by stealing Local Government Funds in attempt to coerce cities to give up their Home Rule Authority.
Responding to Boards of Elections: Since 2023, Rank the Vote Ohio has worked with the Ohio Association of Election Officials to offer itself and its national partners such as FairVote and the RCV Resource Center to help Ohio’s Boards of Elections adapt to RCV as they have in other states. As of 2025, all voting equipment used in Ohio is already being used to implement RCV in cities in other states. Election officials have confirmed that if a charter city passes an amendment for RCV, the Ohio Board of Voting Machine Examiners will begin the certification process for RCV-capable software, with costs covered by the state.
About Us: Rank the Vote Ohio is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan nonprofit founded in 2020 by volunteers from across Ohio to educate fellow Buckeyes about RCV. Through in-person and online outreach, we mobilize volunteers from across the political spectrum in support of “greater choice, a stronger voice, and a representative democracy that works for all Ohioans.” Our Ohio-based nonprofit is part of Rank the Vote’s national coalition working to lay the groundwork for local and statewide initiatives for RCV. As of 2025, we’ve gained more than 21,000 registered supporters in Ohio.
Contact: Rank the Vote Ohio gives free presentations and consultations. To learn more, email our Leadership Team at [email protected].
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Kyle Herman published Cleveland Heights charter remains under review, with sights on next year’s ballot in In The News 2024-12-30 17:55:39 -0500
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Kyle Herman published Lakewood Charter Review Commission Recommendations Include Ranked Choice Voting in In The News 2024-12-30 17:51:07 -0500
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Kyle Herman published VOICES: Ranked-Choice Voting: A proven improvement to the way we vote in In The News 2024-11-21 21:19:36 -0500
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Kyle Herman published VOICES: As Riverside considers charter amendment, meaningful conversations more important than ever (8/15/24) in In The News 2024-11-21 21:17:18 -0500
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Kyle Herman published Dayton Daily News: What is Ranked-Choice Voting - and can it improve our elections? (8/15/24) in In The News 2024-11-21 21:14:39 -0500
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Kyle Herman published Dayton Daily News: Ranked-choice voting offers clear advantages — and faces stiff opposition in In The News 2024-11-21 20:52:47 -0500
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Kyle Herman published Ohio Capital Journal: Out-of-state, conservative organizations lead charge to ban ranked choice voting in Ohio in In The News 2024-11-21 20:48:11 -0500
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Kyle Herman published All Sides with Anna Staver: The future of voting in Ohio in In The News 2023-12-13 09:56:50 -0500
Public Profile
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Kyle Herman
Exec Director @RankTheVoteOhio #RankedChoiceVoting. Formerly @NDI, @ObamaWhiteHouse, high school civics teacher. @Kennedy_School & @OhioWesleyan. Views my own.