| Doug Friednash | The Denver Post |
There’s a strong likelihood that your vote won’t affect the outcome of the Denver’s mayoral race on April 4.
With 17 candidates vying for this role, no candidate will receive a majority of the vote. The top two vote-getters will advance to a costly and divisive runoff on June 6. As a result, as many as 80% of Denver voters — because their preferred candidate won’t make the runoff — will be disenfranchised. Some will become disaffected and less likely to vote in the run-off.
”To appeal more broadly
Ranked choice voting (RCV), also known as instant runoff, is gaining traction nationally and should be implemented in future city elections.
RCV provides more voter choice, often results in more positive campaigning, and ultimately delivers the majority’s decision. Candidates are incentivized to appeal more broadly to voters as they also position themselves to be a second or third choice. Avoiding a time-consuming runoff would also save Denver millions in a special election for one race.
Colorado passed a law making it easier for cities to opt-in to RCV voting. RCV is used in Boulder, Broomfield, Carbondale, Telluride, and most recently, Fort Collins, where voters adopted RCV for city elections with 58% of the vote.
