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Burlington, Vermont, Question 5, Ranked-Choice Voting Measure (March 2005)
| Burlington Question 5 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Local charter amendments and Local elections and campaigns |
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| Status |
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| Type Referral |
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Burlington Question 5 was on the ballot as a referral in Burlington on March 1, 2005. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported establishing a ranked-choice voting electoral system for mayoral elections. |
A "no" vote opposed establishing a ranked-choice voting electoral system for mayoral elections. |
Election results
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Burlington Question 5 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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4,715 | 64.46% | ||
| No | 2,600 | 35.54% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 5 was as follows:
| “ | 5. CHARTER CHANGE - MAJORITY VOTE REQUIRED FOR POSITION OF MAYOR WITH INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING SYSTEM ADOPTED “Shall Sections 5 and 22 of the Charter of the City of Burlington, Acts of 1949 No. 298 as amended be further amended to read as follows: Sec. 5. Election to be by ballot; (a) The election of (b) All elections of mayor shall be by ballot, using a system of instant runoff voting without a separate runoff election. The chief administrative officer shall implement an instant runoff voting protocol according to these guidelines: (1) The ballot shall give voters the option of ranking candidates in order of preference, (2) If a candidate receives a majority (over 50%) of first preferences, that candidate is elected. (3) If no candidate receives a majority of first preferences, an instant runoff re-tabulation shall be performed by the Board of Civil Authority within five (5) business days of the election. The instant runoff re-tabulation shall be conducted in rounds. In each round each voter's ballot shall count as a single vote for whichever continuing candidate he/she has ranked highest. The candidate with the fewest votes after each round shall be eliminated until only two candidates remain, with the candidate then receiving the greatest number of votes being elected. (4) The city council may adopt additional regulations, consistent with the above, to implement these standards Sec. 22. Ballots. For all city or ward elections, and also for the election of justices of the peace in said city, the chief administrative officer shall prepare all official ballots, consistent with the requirements of any ordinance adopted under Section 5 of this charter, and otherwise in the same manner and subject to all the provisions of the laws of this state providing for and regulating the preparation and distribution of official ballots in towns and cities; provided, however, that said chief administrative officer shall cause to be printed for every ward in said city not less than sixty ballots for every fifty names or fractional part thereof on the voting list prepared and posted in such ward for any such election; and further provided that said chief administrative officer shall deliver to the inspectors of election in each ward on the day of such election and before the hour for opening the polls in said ward, such number of blocks of ballots containing one hundred each as shall nearest represent two-thirds of the whole number required to be printed for such ward, and shall retain the balance of the ballots for each ward so prepared.?" | ” |
Background
Ranked-choice voting (RCV)
| Ranked-choice voting (RCV) ballot measures | |
|---|---|
| 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 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Burlington City Council voted to place this charter amendment on the ballot.
See also
External links
Footnotes
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State of Vermont Montpelier (capital) |
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