HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Election Code Committee - 11/15/2021 -
City of Fort Collins Page 1
November 15, 2021
ELECTION CODE COMMITTEE MEETING
12:00 PM
COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Arndt, Canonico, Ohlson
STAFF PRESENT: Carrie Daggett, Tammi Pusheck, Ryan Malarkey
CITIZENS PRESENT: Robbie Moreland, Jody Deschanes (remote)
1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
3. PUBLIC COMMENT
Robbie Moreland stated she is looking forward to hearing from County Clerk Angela Myers regarding
moving elections to November and about the County’s readiness for ranked choice voting. She
provided information regarding the RCV Resource Center’s state readiness assessment for Colorado
and discussed other municipalities that use ranked choice voting. She encouraged the Committee to
refer ranked choice voting to the ballot.
Jody Deschanes thanked the Committee for its work on election reform items and expressed support
for Ms. Moreland’s comments.
4. PUBLIC COMMENT FOLLOW-UP
Councilmember Ohlson encouraged the Committee to work on both issues to ensure no deadlines are
missed in terms of placing an item on the ballot.
City Attorney Daggett stated the deadlines for most items are in late summer and she discussed
deadlines for charter amendments.
5. CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF THE SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 AND OCTOBER 18, 2021
COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
Vice Chair Arndt made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Ohlson, to adopt and approve the
meeting minutes of September 20 and October 18, 2021. The motion was adopted unanimously.
6. CONSIDERATION AND PROPOSAL TO MOVE TO NOVEMBER ELECTIONS AND RELATED
ACTIONS
a. Guest: Angela Myers, Larimer County Clerk and Recorder
Angela Myers, Larimer County Clerk, discussed the differences between odd and even year November
coordinated elections noting they are administered differently because of different requirements.
Additionally, the volume of response is quite higher in even year elections and the even year elections
are partisan.
Vice Chair Arndt asked about the average voter turnout difference for the odd and even year elections.
County Clerk Myers replied turnout is based on interest and tends to be in the high 80% to low 90%
range in Larimer County. Odd year elections tend to have a turnout rate of 30-40% of active registered
voters.
Vice Chair Arndt asked about the logistics of placing the City’s non-partisan election on an even year
ballot, and potentially including ranked choice voting in that. County Clerk Myers replied she is unsure
whether party affiliation can be left off an even year ballot.
Chair Canonico asked if the County’s equipment can tally ranked choice voting. County Clerk Myers
replied the Secretary of State’s office is still working on details of equipment or upgrade needs.
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Councilmember Ohlson stated he would prefer to move to even year November elections and is also
supportive of ranked choice voting. He commented on the history of changes made to City elections
and stated he would like to see staff focus on even year November elections and forego any further
discussion of odd year November elections.
Interim City Clerk Pusheck asked how costs are allocated to participating municipalities in a
coordinated election. County Clerk Myers replied all participating entities share in the cost of the
election via a pro rata share based on the number of voters served by that entity. She noted the state
pays a flat $0.80 per active registered voter when it has a question on the ballot. She also stated any
ranked choice voting costs would be more directly linked to the City, specifically any required licensing
costs from the Secretary of State’s office which could significantly add to the cost of an election for the
City.
Interim City Clerk Pusheck asked if there is an additional cost if a municipality’s questions cause the
ballot to go to another page. County Clerk Myers replied in the affirmative but stated that has not
occurred in the past; however, there has been some discussion about giving consideration to the
volume of the ballot taken up by each of the municipalities.
Chair Canonico asked how each round of running ballots in a ranked choice voting election would be
charged. County Clerk Myers replied the additional time costs associated with that would be
exclusively attributed to the City.
Interim City Clerk Pusheck asked how the order of the ballot items is determined. County Clerk Myers
replied it is statutory and also based on timing of when ballot items are certified to the County.
City Attorney Daggett asked about the typical order of an even year November ballot. County Clerk
Myers replied candidates are first with the national, statewide, and countywide candidates first followed
by municipal candidates, then any ballot questions would be listed in the same order.
Chair Canonico thanked County Clerk Myers for her time.
Jennifer Poznanovic discussed the impacts to tax-related ballot items should there be a move to a
November coordinated election. She noted further detail will be provided at an upcoming Council
Finance Committee meeting.
City Attorney Daggett noted staff provided a chart related to pros and cons of making the change to a
November coordinated election during one of this Committee’s first meetings.
Vice Chair Arndt suggested contacting CML for input from other municipalities that have made the
change to November elections.
Councilmember Ohlson stated there should not be fear of moving forward because of perceived one-
time glitches. He also noted it is not necessary to wait for taxes to expire to place their renewal on the
ballot. He asked if Council could place an item on the 2022 ballot if so desired. Jennifer Poznanovic
replied November of 2022 would be the earliest election opportunity to place an item on the ballot.
b. Term transition follow-up
Interim City Clerk Pusheck provided a proposed term transition timeline for moving forward with
November elections and creating ballot language if necessary.
Chair Canonico asked if there are any issues at the state level with extending Council terms as would
be required for a shift to November elections. City Attorney Daggett replied there is no legal issue.
Committee members discussed the pros and cons of various term transitions and noted any switch
would go before voters in November of 2022.
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7. REDISTRICTING UPDATE
Interim City Clerk Pusheck noted it has been determined redistricting can not occur in-house; therefore,
a consultant is being sought to move forward.
Councilmember Ohlson asked if it has been determined College Avenue is no longer a hard and fast
district division line. Staff members replied in the affirmative.
Councilmember Ohlson commented on the importance of ensuring an incumbent is not moved out of a
district during the redistricting process and on the importance of a fair and common sense process.
8. PROPOSED TIMELINE FOR BALLOT QUESTION APPROVAL
Interim City Clerk Pusheck noted a February work session for a discussion of November elections has
been scheduled with a hope that will result in a recommendation allowing the City Attorney’s Office to
draft language for June Council meetings.
Vice Chair Arndt stated she would like to have an estimated cost of implementing ranked choice voting
to provide transparency to voters. City Attorney Daggett stated the County may actually need to
complete an election with ranked choice voting prior to an accurate cost estimate being available.
Councilmember Ohlson stated he wanted to ensure no technical deadlines would be missed on placing
ranked choice voting on the ballot.
Committee members discussed the necessary timeline for ballot issues.
9. FUTURE ELECTION CODE COMMITTEE DATES WITH SCHEDULING CONFLICTS
Interim City Clerk Pusheck noted all meetings dates with a conflicting Monday holiday have been
rescheduled. She asked if members would like to continue with a hybrid meeting format. Committee
members replied in the affirmative.
10. OTHER BUSINESS
Vice Chair Arndt and Chair Canonico reported on a discussion regarding publicly-financed elections.
11. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned by unanimous consent at 1:10 PM
MINUTES APPROVED AT THE JANUARY 10, 2022 ELECTION CODE COMMITTEE MEETING