A bill for an ordinance submitting to a vote of the registered electors of the…

This ordinance does not itself change Denver's election system. It is a referral measure, meaning the City Council is asking voters to decide whether to amend the City and County of Denver's charter to adopt instant runoff voting (IRV), also known as ranked choice voting. If approved by voters on November 4, 2025, future Denver municipal elections would use a system where voters rank candidates in order of preference rather than selecting only one. The change would apply to the city's home-rule charter, which governs local government structure and operations independently from state law, giving Denver significant latitude to design its own electoral processes. Instant runoff voting works by counting first-choice votes first. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and voters who ranked that candidate first have their votes transferred to their second choice. This process repeats until one candidate holds a majority. Proponents argue this eliminates the so-called spoiler effect, where a third-party or minor candidate draws votes away from a similar candidate and inadvertently helps an opponent win. Critics argue the process is more complex and can confuse voters, particularly those less familiar with ranked systems. Fiscally, adopting IRV could require changes to Denver's ballot printing, tabulation software, and voter education programs. These costs vary widely by jurisdiction. Cities like Minneapolis and San Francisco have used IRV for years and report manageable implementation costs, while others have cited ballot programming and public outreach expenses as significant line items. Denver has not released an official fiscal note for this measure as of the latest available information. Historically, ranked choice voting has been adopted or attempted in dozens of American cities and a handful of states, including Maine and Alaska at the statewide level. New York City used it in recent Democratic primaries. Some jurisdictions have repealed it after voter confusion or close elections prompted legal challenges. The movement to adopt RCV gained momentum in the 2010s and 2020s, backed by electoral reform groups arguing it produces more representative outcomes. Stakeholders affected include Denver voters, all candidates for municipal office, political parties operating in Denver, election administrators in the Denver Elections Division, and civic organizations focused on electoral reform. Minor party and independent candidates often support IRV because it reduces the penalty for running outside the two major parties. Major party establishments have historically been more divided on the question.

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Denver is asking its voters to decide whether to overhaul the way the city elects its leaders. The proposed charter amendment, placed on the November 4, 2025 ballot by the City Council, would replace the current single-choice voting system with instant runoff voting. Under that system, voters rank candidates in order of preference, and if no one wins an outright majority on the first count, the lowest-performing candidates are eliminated one by one, with their supporters' votes reassigned to whoever those voters ranked next, until one candidate crosses the majority threshold. Supporters of the measure, which include electoral reform organizations and some current elected officials, argue that instant runoff voting produces winners with broader public support and frees voters from the calculation that supporting a long-shot candidate will 'waste' their ballot. They point to cities like Minneapolis, Minnesota and San Francisco, California, which have used ranked choice voting for years, as evidence that the system is workable and tends to reduce negative campaigning because candidates benefit from being voters' second or third choice as well as their first. Opponents raise concerns about voter confusion and administrative complexity. They argue that multi-round counting can be opaque to the public, that delayed results undermine confidence in elections, and that some studies have found lower ballot completion rates in ranked choice jurisdictions, meaning some voters do not rank all candidates and their ballots can effectively become inactive in later rounds. Some major-party operatives also argue that IRV introduces unpredictability that disadvantages incumbents and established organizations. For ordinary Denver residents, the most direct consequence would be a different experience at the ballot box in future city elections. Voters would be asked to rank candidates rather than pick one, a change that requires some adjustment but that advocates say gives every voter a more meaningful voice. The decision rests entirely with Denver voters in November 2025, making this a local determination about what kind of democracy the city wants to practice.