Aspen, Colorado, Referendum 2B, Repeal of Ranked-Choice Voting Measure (November 2010)
| Aspen Referendum 2B | |
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| Topic Local elections and campaigns and Local electoral systems |
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| Type Referral |
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Aspen Referendum 2B was on the ballot as a referral in Aspen on November 2, 2010. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported this ballot measure to:
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A "no" vote opposed this ballot measure, thus keeping ranked-choice voting for the election of mayor and city council members. |
Election results
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Aspen Referendum 2B |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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1,726 | 65.28% | ||
| No | 918 | 34.72% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Referendum 2B was as follows:
| “ | Referendum 2B Amendment to City Charter Replace IRV with June Run-Off Voting Procedures Shall Ordinance No. 20, Series of 2010, be approved? Ordinance No. 20, Series of 2010, if approved amends sections 2.7, 3.2 and 3.3 of the City of Aspen Home Rule Charter to eliminate instant-runoff voting procedures and re-instate previously used run-off procedures in June for the election of mayor and members of Council if candidates for the office of mayor do not receive fifty percent (50%) plus one vote, or more, of the total votes cast for the office of mayor; or if candidates for city council do not receive forty-five percent (45%) plus one vote, or more, of the total votes cast for that office.
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Background
Ranked-choice voting (RCV)
| Ranked-choice voting (RCV) ballot measures | |
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| Pages: • Ranked-choice voting (RCV) • History of RCV ballot measures • Electoral systems on the ballot • Local electoral systems on the ballot • Electoral systems by state | |
- See also: Ranked-choice voting (RCV)
The ballot measure has played a role in shaping electoral systems in the U.S., including ranked-choice voting (RCV) for state and local elections.
Since 1915, there have been more than 150 ballot measures to adopt or repeal ranked-choice voting systems. Ashtabula, Ohio, was the first jurisdiction to approve a ranked-choice voting measure in 1915.
RCV is an electoral system in which voters rank candidates on their ballots. RCV can be used for single-winner elections or multi-winner elections; when used for multi-winner elections, the system has also been called single-transferable vote or proportional representation. These terms were often used to describe multi-winner RCV before the 1970s. You can learn more about ranked-choice voting systems and policies here.
Local RCV ballot measures
Between 1965 and 2024, 79 ranked-choice voting (RCV) local ballot measures were on the ballot in 58 jurisdictions in 19 states.
- Ballotpedia has located 71 local ballot measures to adopt RCV. Voters approved 52 (78.9%) and rejected 15 (21.1%).
- There were eight local ballot measures to repeal RCV. Voters approved four (50.0%) and rejected four (50.0%).
- The year with the most local RCV ballot measures was 2022, when nine were on the ballot in nine jurisdictions. Voters approved seven of them.
- The state with the most local ballot measures related to RCV is California, where there have been 13.
The following table shows the number of ranked-choice voting measures by topic.
| Local ranked-choice vote measures by topic and outcome, 1965 - April 2025 | |||||
| Topic | Total | Approved | Approved (%) | Defeated | Defeated (%) |
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| Adopt RCV | 72 | 57 | 79.2% | 15 | 20.08% |
| Repeal RCV | 8 | 4 | 50.0% | 4 | 50.0% |
| Total | 80 | 61 | 76.3% | 19 | 23.7% |
Path to the ballot
The Aspen City Council referred Referendum 2B to the ballot.
See also
Footnotes
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