Ferris State University's Political Engagement Project and Center for Leadership,
Activities and Career Services will cosponsor a Rank MI Vote town hall on Wednesday,
Feb. 5.Ferris State University’s Political Engagement Project and Center for Leadership, Activities and Career Services will cosponsor a Wednesday, Feb. 5 Town Hall session on ranked voting, also known as the alternative vote method. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and will be hosted in University Center, Room 217.
David Takitaki, a Social Sciences adjunct instructor in the College of Arts, Sciences and Education, is PEP’s faculty spokesperson. He said Rank MI Vote, nonpartisan volunteer proponents of ranked-choice voting, requested the opportunity to speak on campus.
“We believe a presentation like this is an appropriate message for our students to hear and understand,” Takitaki said. “There are several states and municipalities where this election method has been adopted. Ranked-choice voting is seen by some groups as a more desirable system for electing leaders.”
Takitaki said, in the simplest terms, voters would vote for their choice, along with the next two candidates they rank as acceptable. This varies from the “First Past the Post” method, which is typical for electing candidates to office, where voters select one choice for that race.
Proponents of the ranked voting system say it is mathematically superior, because when the least popular candidates are eliminated, their results are shifted to remaining candidates, until someone wins a majority, or the race is reduced to one candidate.
For more information about the Rank MI Vote Town Hall, call the CLACS office at (231) 591-2617.