Boulder Bulletin

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How Will Ranked-Choice Voting Work?
By Bob Yates

Five Boulder measures will be on ballot in the fall election. I’ll be writing about each of them in the October 5 issue of the Bulletin. The ballot measures will include two community decisions on municipalization, one for funding for eviction prevention and defense, one relating to the Arts Commission, and one allowing for the direct election of Boulder’s mayor. This latter ballot measure also allows for ranked-choice voting for that position, somewhat similar to a method that Boulder used to elect all of city council between 1917 and 1947. Because ranked-choice voting can be a bit confusing, allow me to walk through how it would work under the direct election of mayor proposal that will be on the November ballot.

First, “ranked-choice voting” is a broad, umbrella term that includes different systems of preferential voting, including instant-runoff voting, single transferable vote, positional voting, and cumulative voting. What they all have in common is that the voter is given the option to vote for more than one person among a field of candidates. The voter can rank their choices sequentially, from first choice to second choice to third choice, and on down. That way, if the voter’s first choice doesn’t prevail, the vote is not “wasted” and the voter’s second choice is applied. Some of the advantages of ranked-choice voting include ensuring that the winner earns a majority of votes (rather than a mere plurality), advancing democracy and participation, decreasing partisanship, and increasing equity. More on all of that later.

One of principal differences between the various systems of ranked-choice voting relates to how many seats are to be filled. So, for example, if there is only one position—like mayor—for which multiple candidates are vying, then the most commonly-used ranked-choice method is “instant runoff voting.” If, conversely, there are multiple seats at stake—for instance, several seats on a city council—then the single transferable vote method is the preferred ranked-choice voting method. Since the proposition on this fall’s ballot in Boulder is limited to only one position—mayor—it’s not necessary for us to delve into the various permutations of ranked-choice voting. We can focus on instant-run-off voting, which is what is on November’s ballot for your consideration.

Currently, Boulder’s mayor is selected by the nine-member city council from among its ranks. Because the mayor’s primary job in our weak mayor/city manager system is to run city council meetings, the thinking has been that the council members should select their own leader. However, Boulder is the largest city in Colorado that doesn’t allow the voters to select the mayor. Some folks would like to change that, and they see ranked-choice voting as a good way for the voters to make the mayoral selection.

Here’s how instant-runoff voting would work for the direct election of Boulder’s mayor, along with the regular election of city council: Candidates would declare in... Read more ☞

OUR COMMUNITY

Safe home

This is the second in a series of articles on how Boulder city departments
continue to provide services to the community during the coronavirus crisis.

In the Irish language, the traditional phrase used to bid someone goodbye is slán abhaile. This literally translates to “safe home,” still used frequently by English-speaking Irish people. Get home safely.

Safe home is also the motto of the city of Boulder’s Transportation & Mobility Department. Or, as interim department director Bill Cowern says, “First and foremost, our system must be safe. People have to get home safely. That is our top priority.”

Indeed, the home page of the Transportation Department’s website uses the term “safe” no fewer than 10 times, with links to more safety information, including the annual Safe Streets Report, filled with dozen of pages of information about conflicts between vehicles, bikes, and pedestrians, along with statistics, maps, trends, and what the department does to reduce risks. For example, the report discloses that, while traffic volume has increased in some areas, the number of annual crashes in the city over the last decade has stayed relatively steady at between 2,700 and 3,000, with an average of about two percent of these resulting in serious injury or death. Maps in the report show that the most dangerous intersections in town include the intersections where Arapahoe and Colorado each cross 28^th and 30^th streets. And, the report describes the work being done in the four E’s (engineering, education, enforcement, and evaluation) to reduce the number of crashes, injuries, and death.

Of course, the financial and health constraints caused by the six-month-long coronavirus crisis has affected how people get around and how the city’s Transportation Department serves the community. While safety remains the department’s top priority under the recently-updated Transportation Master Plan, other services have had to be adjusted to accommodate reduced demands and reduced budgets due to COVID. Ever since the crisis began affecting travel in mid-March, Bill Cowern’s team has been tracking changes in transportation modes. Probably the most noticeable changes have occurred in car travel, as many commuters work from home, social events are cancelled, and residents plan trips outside their homes more deliberately. Average vehicular travel plummeted from mid-March and through April, with 50 to 60 percent fewer cars on Boulder streets. As restrictions eased in late spring and through the summer, some folks returned to driving, but car travel in town remains 15 to 20 percent off of pre-COVID norms. And, fewer cars means fewer crashes. “The year 2020 will look like an amazingly safe year from a crash perspective,” Bill predicts.

Bill wonders whether some of the changes are here to stay. “Telecommuting has been... Read more ☞

Municipalization: At the August 20 city council meeting, I joined my council colleagues in voting to place on the fall ballot a question of whether to settle the municipalization litigation between the city and Xcel Energy. What was I thinking ☞

Open Space Management: At the September 1 city council meeting, I joined a 8-1 majority in adopting the method of prairie dog control on Open Space agricultural land recommended by city staff and the Open Space Board of Trustees. What was I thinking ☞

Direct Election of Mayor: At the September 1 city council meeting, I joined a 5-4 majority in voting to place on the fall ballot a question of whether the electorate should have the right to directly elect Boulder’s mayor, using the ranked-choice voting method. What was I thinking ☞

August 2020 issue on Xcel settlement here
Find other recent past issues here
Next monthly issue October 5

Unless otherwise noted, all council meetings and study sessions and other meetings begin at 6:00 at City Council Chambers, second floor, 1777 Broadway. Information current as of first Monday of the month, but subject to change.
Confirm agendas here.
NOTE: UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING WILL BE CLOSED AND COUNCIL MEETINGS WILL BE BROADCAST ON CHANNEL 8 AND STREAMED AT CHANNEL 8 ONLINE.

Tuesday, September 8: Study Session
2021 budget

Tuesday, September 15: Council Meeting
Electric scooters; occupancy limits

Tuesday, September 22: Study Session
Police oversight panel implementation; severe weather sheltering

Tuesday, September 29: No Meeting
Fifth Tuesday

Tuesday, October 6: Council Meeting
2021 budget; legislative agenda

Email: yatesb@bouldercolorado.gov
Voice Message: 720.310.5829

Office: 1777 Broadway, Boulder (email in advance for appointment)

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