Ohio and Indiana have officially joined a growing number of states prohibiting the use of ranked-choice voting (RCV) in their elections.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation (SB 63) on Tuesday that prevents elections from being conducted with ranked-choice voting (or “instant runoff voting”). Should the secretary of state determine that an Ohio city or locality “approved the use” of such a system in its elections via resolution or ordinance, “then the county or municipal corporation is ineligible to receive any local government fund distributions from the state during the period beginning with the month following the adoption of the resolution or ordinance and ending with the month following the last day it is in effect.”
SB 63 was introduced by Republican Sen. Theresa Gavarone and Democrat Sen. William DeMora and received overwhelming support in the state House (65-27) and Senate (24-7).
Under RCV, voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-choice votes in the first round of voting, the last-place finisher is eliminated, and his votes are reallocated to the voter’s second-choice candidate. This process continues until one candidate receives a majority of votes.
As The Federalist previously reported, Democrats have often pushed ranked-choice voting as a way of winning races in which Republican candidates receive a majority of the vote. The system has also been shown to produce confusion among voters, delayed election results, and thrown-out (“exhausted”) ballots.
“From decreasing voter turnout, to even having the losing candidate declared the winner, we have seen the horrors of ranked choice voting play out in several states throughout the country, but that will not happen in Ohio!” Gavarone wrote in a tweet responding to DeWine’s signing of SB 63.
The law is expected to take effect 90 days after its approval, according to Dayton Daily News.
DeWine’s signature comes nearly a month after GOP Gov. Mike Braun approved legislation barring RCV in Indiana.
Much like its Ohio counterpart, Indiana’s SB 12 stipulates that elections “may not be determined by ranked choice voting” and that candidates “may not be nominated for or elected to an office by means of ranked choice voting.”
The measure passed the Indiana House (58-30) last month after clearing the state Senate (38-9) in January.
There are now 19 states that have adopted laws prohibiting the use of ranked-choice voting in their elections, according to Ballotpedia.
For more election news and updates, visit electionbriefing.com.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
