On July 14, the Longmont, CO City Council voted 6-1 to put a ranked choice voting (RCV) measure on the November 2026 ballot. If the measure passes, RCV will be used in Longmont elections for mayor and City Council beginning in 2029. 

Longmont is home to over 100,000 residents, and has been one of the fastest-growing cities in the country in recent years.

With Longmont’s current “choose-one” voting system, candidates can win crowded elections without a majority of the vote. Since 2023, there have been four municipal elections in Longmont where no candidate secured a majority of the vote. With ranked choice voting, candidates would enter office with majority support and a stronger mandate to lead.

Ranked choice voting also gives voters greater ability to express their preferences without splitting the vote, and reduces potential negative campaigning. In RCV elections, candidates are rewarded for finding common ground with their competitors, and seeking backup-choice support from voters ranking another candidate first on their ballot. 

Pending release of technical guidance from the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office, Longmont would also implement multi-winner RCV – a form of proportional representation that ensures nearly all voters elect candidates of their choice. 

At the City Council meeting, Ranked Choice Voting for Longmont co-founder Dillon Rankin said:

I am just of the opinion that our gold standard election system deserves a gold standard voting method to go with it… [ranked choice voting lets you] rank your candidates honestly, as opposed to strategically.

The ballot measure will be read again on August 11 and 25 to formalize its language, before being placed on the ballot. 

RCV already has a track record of success in the Centennial State. It is used in five Colorado cities – including one of Longmont’s neighbors, Boulder. Colorado Governor Jared Polis has endorsed RCV, and signed legislation in 2021 to help more cities adopt it. Polling shows that wherever RCV is used, voters like and understand it.

To learn more about RCV in Colorado, visit Ranked Choice Voting for Longmont and Courageous Colorado. To help bring RCV to your community, find an RCV group near you!