This year, the City of Moab was among 23 Utah municipalities to participate in the Utah Ranked Choice Voting pilot project, which was approved by the Utah Legislature in 2018 and expanded in 2021. Ranked choice voting or “instant run-off voting,” allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference when marking their ballots.
On Monday, Dec. 13, the City launched a survey asking voters to provide feedback on their experience with using ranked choice voting (RCV). That feedback will be used to help City officials decide whether or not to continue using ranked choice voting in 2023 – the next municipal election year. Voters are invited to complete the survey at bit.ly/MoabRCVSurvey, or visit the City website, moabcity.org, and scan the QR code for the survey included in the “News and Announcements” section near the bottom of the homepage.
The City decided earlier this year to participate in the RCV pilot project for the 2021 general election after nonprofit group Utah Ranked Choice Voting presented information about the process to the Moab City Council. Moab’s 2021 election was conducted by Utah County because Grand County does not have the software needed for ranked choice voting tabulation.
Moab City Recorder Sommar Johnson, who serves as the elections officer for the City, said ranked choice voting saved the City several thousand dollars because RCV eliminates the need to hold a primary election. Overall, Johnson said, the 2021 election process “went really well.”
“We had expected some voters to have questions about the new look of the ballots and the process, and we were prepared to help them when those questions arose,” Johnson said. “Overall, I think the election was successful, and it was interesting to see how the votes were allocated during the ranking process in each round.”
To participate in the survey, go to bit.ly/MoabRCVSurvey, or visit the City website, moabcity.org, and scan the QR code for the survey included in “News and Announcements” on the homepage,.or scan the QR code.