Ohio Senate passes bill to withhold funds from localities that adopt ranked-choice voting

The Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 63 on May 13, a measure that would withhold state local government fund distributions from municipalities or charter counties that adopt ranked-choice voting.

Senator Theresa Gavarone, a lead sponsor, told the Senate the bill “would withhold local government fund distributions from a municipality or charter county that uses ranked choice voting.” She described ranked-choice voting as a method that eliminates candidates in rounds until a candidate wins a majority and said it can delay election results and cause voter confusion.

Senator Andrew DeMora joined as a co-sponsor on the floor and argued the bill does not criminalize ranked-choice voting but conditions state funding on its nonuse. Proponents cited examples from other jurisdictions, saying ranked-choice voting had produced long ballots, higher error rates and additional costs for voter education and tabulation. Senator Gavarone said research shows “nearly 1 in 20 voters improperly mark their ballots” in typical ranked-choice contests and referenced localities that later reversed the system.

Opponents raised concerns in committee and in debate about implementation costs and election administration complexity; the record includes statements that no Ohio county board of elections was currently prepared to run ranked-choice contests without new software and training.

After floor debate, the Senate passed the bill by a roll-call vote of 27 yeas and 5 nays. The bill’s text would amend sections of the Ohio Revised Code to withhold specified state distributions from local governments that use ranked-choice voting.

The bill as passed moves to the next stage in the legislative process; sponsors argued the measure protects voters and election integrity, while opponents warned of limits on local choice and potential legal challenges.