<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"> <style></style> </head> <body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"> <div class="WordSection1"> Fellow Council Members and HOTLNE followers,<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I wrote to the Boulder County Clerk yesterday to follow up on Voter Service Center arrangements for the 2020 election.  Molly Fitzgerald, Boulder County Clerk, wrote back to say that arrangements in the City of Boulder were set for 3 service centers in city facilities, and preparations were looking good for the upcoming election.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> She also spoke to the work that her office had been doing at considering the implications of the Our Mayor Our Choice ballot initiative.  This proposed measure would amend the City Charter for direct election of the Mayor using a ranked choice voting (RCV) method starting in 2023.  This measure was set for the ballot after a second reading, and is slated to be finalized at our Sep 1 Council meeting.  Here is part of what the County Clerk wrote yesterday:<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “I wanted to let you know that I am going to be communicating to the RCV folks (Matt, Jan, Linda) that the County is not going to be their best path forward to run the City of Boulder’s 2023 RCV mayoral election. The County’s voting system is not capable of running an RCV election under Rule 26.3 and any upgrades to the system would require significant direct financial costs and operational resources. I have already let Matt, Jan, and Linda know that my office cannot commit to 2023. Matt Benjamin was supposedly working on ballot language to provide increased flexibility for the County to choose a more realistic date to run an RCV election, but I haven’t heard back. After more conversations, I will be communicating that contracting directly with Dominion (instead of the County Clerk & Recorder’s Office) is the RCV folks’ most straightforward path forward for implementation in 2023.“<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “While you would of course have to seek advice from the City Attorney’s Office, my understanding is that the City could contract directly with Dominion to run an RCV election, opting out of the current State Rules, under its home rule charter. I also believe that RCV is being discussed at the statewide level. What would kick this process in off in Colorado would be if the legislature directed the SOS for policy/rulemaking changes, voting system testing and standards, audit adjustments, etc. And I’m just not sure if that is actually happening next year or if so, when those rules would be take (sic) effect.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I find it extremely concerning that we are considering moving forward with an amendment to the City Charter (our version of a Constitution for the city) regarding how to elect our mayor using a voting method that is not completely defined and supported by the Boulder County Clerk who runs our City elections.  Further, if the City were to move ahead with a Charter amendment with no clear explanation to voters about what the potential costs would be as well as how such an election would be operated, and by whom, I feel more time is needed to prepare such a measure.  I will be interested in hearing the supporters’ response, but this development causes me serious concern about supporting putting this Charter amendment onto this years’ ballot.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I hesitantly supported putting this measure on the 2020 ballot previously, because I support election methods such as single transferrable vote and approval voting in order to enfranchise more potential voters and to have more members of marginalized groups stand for election.  I am hopeful that we adopt such voting methods for all of Council, which will do much more for accomplishing more proportional representation than using such methods for a single position, the mayor.  With the knowledge that we would likely have to use a private organization to operate at least a portion of our election in 2023 for a single seat, my support for placing this measure on the ballot is much less likely at the Sep 1 Council meeting.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I will say again that I would like to see a ranked choice voting method developed for all of Council to help de-polarize our elections.  However, doing so will require some time for planning, and a great deal of coordinated process development that has not yet been done.  Members of our former Elections Working Group have shown enthusiasm for re-convening and developing a holistic proposal to change over to RCV methods for electing all of Council.  I support such an action to reform our elections process for all of Council, and doing so in a way that would allow continued coordinated elections with Boulder County operating the election process.  The audit and oversight functions of our County Clerk are indispensable to a fair and secure election process, and I feel that any changes we make to our elections processes should be well-coordinated with that office.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> All the best,<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Sam Weaver<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <a href="http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/"><img border="0" width="218" height="56" style="width:2.2666in;height:.5875in" id="Picture_x0020_3" src="cid:image002.png@01D67AC6.1D0A0EC0"></a><o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> weavers@bouldercolorado.gov<o:p></o:p> Phone: 303-416-6130<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> </div> </body> </html>