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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWORK SESSION SUMMARY-03/22/2022-Work Session City Clerk 300 Laporte Avenue PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6515 970.221-6295 - fax fcgov.com/cityclerk MEMORANDUM DATE: March 25, 2022 TO: Mayor and Councilmembers FROM: Anissa Hollingshead, City Clerk THROUGH: Kelly DiMartino, Interim City Manager Kyle Stannert, Deputy City Manager RE: March 22, 2022 Work Session Summary November Coordinated Elections and Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) The purpose of this discussion was to share with the full Council and seek direction on the alternatives its Election Code Committee has been considering regarding possible shifts in election administration that would require voter approval via ballot questions. Staff provided a presentation led by City Clerk Anissa Hollingshead outlining the basics of how ranked choice voting works, options for its implementation in Fort Collins, and considerations around the potential to shift to November coordinated elections, either in tandem with or separately from implementing RCV. Also assisting with questions during the discussion were Deputy City Manager Kyle Stannert, Chief Deputy Clerk Rita Knoll, and City Attorney Carrie Daggett. All Councilmembers were present via Zoom. Council Feedback: There was significant discussion as well as questions about the timing of the two measures, both in terms of when to place them on the ballot and when they should go into effect. There was some concern expressed by several Councilmembers about the extent to which moving the elections to November would increase voter turnout, and a desire to be clear about voter turnout and participation as the ultimate goal. There was some concern expressed about changing the length of current terms, and at the same time recognition that ultimately the voters will decide whether to make the change. There were concerns about the length of time it would take to implement the April to November shift if it were structured so as to not shorten or extend any current terms. There was generally a preference for treating all seats in the same way (in other words, either extend all or shorten all, rather than varying from seat to seat to accelerate the change). There was general support, with some opposition, to the idea of presenting two questions, the move from April to November of regular City elections and ranked choice voting to the voters, in November 2022. There was interest expressed in implementing the two changes, if approved, in a staggered way to reduce the potential for confusing voters and increase the ability to gauge impacts on voter turnout. Several Councilmembers expressed support for the approach of structuring the proposed shift from April to November elections to shift the April 2023 election to November 2023 and extend the terms of all current officeholders by seven months. Several Councilmembers expressed support for setting the implementation date for Ranked Choice Voting as the regular City election in 2025 (whether April or November). There was some wish for more data about potential costs as well as more data regarding the expected impacts on voter turnout, but also recognition that the data is not necessarily available. Next Steps: Potential ballot language for two possible questions will be developed and presented to the Election Code Committee (ECC) for its review and input before it comes to the full Council as an ordinance for adoption. In response to a request, staff will prepare and provide Council with a brief memo outlining the extent of adoption of RCV across the country, including information about jurisdictions that adopted and subsequently moved away from using it. Additional cost estimates are being prepared to the extent possible and will be shared as that work continues. Council can anticipate seeing an update as part of a response to a Service Area Request that also includes details of the formula Larimer County utilizes for allocating election expenses to jurisdictions participating in a coordinated election. Additional available data on voter turnout in different recent election types will be provided to the ECC and the full Council as it considers next steps on the potential ballot questions.