COLUMBUS, OH – Marc Dann, former Ohio Attorney General and State Senator, testified today before the Ohio House of Representatives General Government Committee in opposition to Senate Bill 63, legislation that would penalize municipalities for adopting Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) by withholding Local Government Fund distributions.
Dann, who also served as Chair of the City of Lakewood Charter Review Commission in 2024, urged legislators to reject the bill, arguing that it undermines Ohio’s proud tradition of Municipal Home Rule by using financial coercion to prevent local governments from exercising their constitutional authority.
“While this bill claims to preserve home rule by including an exception for Article XVIII of the Ohio Constitution, that exception is rendered meaningless by the provision that withholds Local Government Fund distributions from any city that adopts RCV,” said Dann. “This is financial coercion, plain and simple.”
Under Dann’s leadership, the Lakewood Charter Review Commission voted eight to one to recommend that city council place a charter amendment on the ballot implementing RCV for mayoral and city council elections. The Commission’s recommendation followed months of careful study and public input.
“Our Charter Review Commission spent hundreds of hours examining various voting methods, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses, and speaking with Lakewood residents,” Dann explained. “The citizens of Lakewood should have the right to decide how their local elections are conducted without facing financial punishment from the state.”
Dann highlighted that more than 50 jurisdictions across the United States have successfully implemented RCV, including the states of Maine and Alaska, and that states such as Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado permit local jurisdictions to adopt the system. He also noted that several southern states, including Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina, use RCV for military and overseas voting.
In his testimony, Dann cited several benefits of RCV that informed the Charter Review Commission’s recommendation:
- Ensuring elected officials have majority support from voters rather than just a plurality
- Eliminating vote splitting that can distort election outcomes
- Reducing negative campaigning as candidates seek second and third choice rankings
- Saving municipal resources by eliminating the need for runoff elections
- Increasing voter participation and engagement
Dann also invoked Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis’ famous observation that states should serve as “laboratories” for democratic experimentation. “During the progressive era, cities across Ohio-including Ashtabula, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Toledo-experimented with RCV,” Dann noted. “Groups across the political spectrum, from the American Enterprise Institute to Common Cause, support giving communities the freedom to innovate.”
The bill is currently pending before the House General Government Committee, chaired by Representative Sharon Ray, with Vice Chair Representative Jeff LeRe and Ranking Member Representative Juanita Brent.
About Marc Dann
Marc Dann is a former Ohio Attorney General (2007-2008) and Ohio State Senator. He currently practices law in Ohio and served as Chair of the City of Lakewood Charter Review Commission in 2024.
