Last night, 10 Utah cities used ranked choice voting (RCV) in their local elections. RCV identifies the candidates with the broadest support without limiting voter choice, and allows more voters to contribute to the outcome. RCV can also help cities save money by eliminating costly, low-turnout primaries – exactly what nine of the Utah cities did.

Every Utah city has released RCV results on election night or the morning after. Below is an overview of some of the most interesting results.

Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City used RCV to elect its mayor for the first time, and incumbent Mayor Erin Mendenhall is poised to win. According to preliminary results, Mendenhall has 58% of first-choice support. 

Although Salt Lake City is a “blue island in a red sea,” Mendenhall says, “it doesn’t mean that we have to be alone all the time. It is devastating to our potential when we believe that disagreeing with our neighbors means we can’t work together. This election is proof that voters want a city government that allies with its partners instead of fighting with them.” Second-place finisher Rocky Anderson wished Mendenhall and her team “the very best, because I want them to succeed.” Both Mendenhall and Anderson’s comments are consistent with the spirit of RCV and the need to appeal to a broader range of voters. 

Council Districts 4 and 6 also used RCV to determine a winner, though the results are still preliminary. In District 4, Eva Lopez Chavez leads with 39% of voters’ first choices, with incumbent Ana Valdemoros not far behind at 34%. When third-place finisher Clayton Scrivner is eliminated, his supporters get a chance to weigh in on the top two. 78% of them took advantage of that opportunity. Chavez leads with 53% in the RCV count.  

In District 6, former Navy aviator Dan Dugan leads with 45% of voters’ first choices. When third-place finisher James Alfandre is eliminated, his supporters help decide between Dugan and second-place finisher Taymour Semnani. Dugan leads with 56% in the RCV count. 

Vineyard

In Vineyard, seven candidates ran for two at-large seats. According to preliminary results, conservation activist Jacob Holdaway and business owner Sara Cameron are poised to win.

RCV encourages candidates to find common ground in order to win backup-choice support. With the multi-winner version of RCV used by many Utah cities, once a candidate wins a seat, that candidate is essentially “eliminated” from the running for other seats. If you voted for that candidate, your vote can count toward a backup choice for the other seats.

Holdaway and Cameron ran as a slate, The Voice of Vineyard Citizens. Their strategy – demonstrating their common ground and appealing to be the backup choice of voters who ranked the other candidate Number 1 – was effective. 

In the race for the first seat, Holdaway has just 37% of votes in the penultimate round. Once Cameron is eliminated and her supporters’ second-choice preferences are considered, Holdaway earns 66%. With Holdaway winning the first seat, he is ineligible for the second seat.

Preliminary results for the first seat on the Vineyard City Council

With Holdaway out of contention for the second seat, Holdaway’s supporters put Cameron in position to win it by ranking her second. 

Preliminary results for the second seat on the Vineyard City Council

Heber City

Heber City saw a competitive election for three at-large city council seats. Eleven candidates ran, and incumbent Mike Johnston was re-elected to the first seat in the tenth round. Local business owner Aaron Cheatwood won the second seat in the ninth round of the RCV count – demonstrating a close contest where several candidates were eliminated in order to identify a majority winner. Planning Commission Member Sid Ostergaard won the third seat.

Without RCV, the outcome could have easily been determined by quirky vote-splitting between several candidates, rather than reflecting the will of the voters. 

Before the election, Cheatwood told voters, “Even if I’m not your choice, please take the time to get to know the candidates, we have some great options.”

Midvale 

Midvale saw a three-way contest for City Council District 3. According to preliminary results, financier Heidi Robinson led with 40% of voters’ first-choices. Once third-place finisher Bart Benson is eliminated, Robinson leads with 54%. 

Without RCV, the 28% of people who ranked Benson first would not have had a chance to weigh in between the top two candidates. Notably, Robinson won the endorsements of the current Midvale mayor and council members.

Yesterday was the third election cycle under Utah’s RCV pilot program, which allows cities to pilot RCV as a faster, cheaper, and better alternative to two-round elections. The program has been broadly successful. In 2021, 81% of survey respondents said RCV was easy, and 88% of Utah County voters who voted in RCV elections ranked multiple candidates. 

To learn more and help grow the RCV movement in the Beehive State, visit Utah Ranked Choice Voting.

This post was updated on November 24, 2023.