Supporters of ranked-choice voting urged Longmont residents Sunday to embrace a new way of electing their city leaders, arguing it would give voters more freedom to support their preferred candidates and reduce concerns about splitting the vote.
Ranked Choice Voting for Longmont co-founder Dillon Rankin explained the proposed system during a town hall at Bricks on Main, featuring El Comite Executive Director Lisa Moreno, Mayor Susie Hidalgo-Fahring, state Sen. Katie Wallace and City Councilmember Alex Kalkhofer. Lafayette City Councilmember Kyle Beaulieu also attended and asked what lessons Longmont could share with neighboring communities considering similar changes.
Question 3C on Longmont voters’ November ballots would introduce ranked-choice voting in city elections beginning in 2029. Instead of selecting only one candidate, voters could rank candidates in order of preference.
Under the single-winner version proposed for mayoral and ward races, a candidate would need a majority to win. If no candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes would be eliminated. Ballots cast for that candidate would then transfer to each voter’s next-ranked choice. The process would continue until one candidate receives a majority…