Petition Circulating for a Citizen-Initiated Charter Amendment

A citizen-initiated charter amendment petition has been authorized for circulation. The petition must contain at least 1,146 vaild signatures or City of Englewood registered electors by August 5, 2026 at 5 p.m. If the petition signatures are deemed sufficient, if the signatures are deemed sufficient the City of Englewood will conduct Coordinated Election with Arapahoe County on November 3, 2026.

Per Englewood Municipal Code 1-15-3(E)

Ballot Title

An Amendment to the Home Rule Charter of the City of Englewood to repeal the current plurality voting system, in which candidates receiving the highest number of votes in a regular or special municipal election are elected, and replace it with a ranked choice voting system requiring electors to rank candidates for each office in order of preference, with winners determined by ranked voting methods conducted in accordance with Colorado Revised Statutes § 1-7-1003, and superseding all provisions of the Charter or Municipal Code requiring or preserving plurality voting.

Submission Clause

Shall the Home Rule Charter of the City of Englewood be amended to repeal the current plurality voting system, in which candidates receiving the highest number of votes in a regular or special municipal election are elected, and replace it with a ranked choice voting system requiring electors to rank candidates for each office in order of preference, with winners determined by ranked voting methods conducted in accordance with Colorado Revised Statutes § 1-7-1003, such that all provisions of the Charter or Municipal Code requiring or preserving plurality voting are superseded by this amendment?

☐ YES / FOR the Amendment

☐ NO / AGAINST the Amendment

Text from the Petition

If approved by a majority of the registered electors of the City of Englewood voting on this measure, the Home Rule Charter shall be amended as follows:

(a) Repeal of Plurality Voting Provision. The charter provision adopted by the voters at the November 4, 2025 General Municipal Election as Ballot Question 2A, which reads: “Candidates receiving the highest number of votes in a regular or special election are elected,” together with any related language adopted as part of that measure providing that the plurality voting method shall override any conflicting provisions in the Charter or Municipal Code, are REPEALED in its entirety.

(b) Addition of New Charter Section — Ranked Choice Voting Methods. Article II Section 16 of the Home Rule Charter of the City of Englewood shall be amended to read as follows:

16. Ranked Choice Voting — Method of Election.

(1) Adoption of Ranked Choice Voting. All regular and special municipal elections for City office, including Presiding Municipal Judge, Mayor, and City Council Members, shall be conducted using ranked choice voting methods in accordance with Colorado Revised Statutes § 1-7-1003, and the rules adopted by the Secretary of State pursuant to C.R.S. § 1-7-1004(1), as may be amended from time to time.

(2) Definitions. As used in this section:

(A) “Ranked voting method” means a method of casting and tabulating votes that allows electors to rank the candidates for an office in order of preference and uses those preferences to determine the winner of the election, including instant runoff voting and single transferable vote method, as described in C.R.S. § 1-7-1003 and C.R.S. § 1-1-104(34.4).

(B) “Instant runoff voting” means the ranked voting method used when one candidate is to be elected to an office, conducted in accordance with C.R.S. § 1-7-1003(3).

(C) “Single transferable vote method” means the ranked voting method used when two or more candidates are to be elected to office in a single election, conducted in accordance with C.R.S. § 1-7-1003(4).

(3) Ballot Form. A ranked voting ballot shall allow each elector to rank as many choices as there are candidates for the office. If the voting system cannot accommodate a number of rankings equal to the number of candidates, the designated election official may limit the number of choices an elector may rank to the maximum number allowed by the voting system, provided that the number of choices shall not be less than three. A ranked voting ballot shall also allow an elector to rank up to two write-in candidates.

(4) Single-Winner Offices — Instant Runoff Voting. For any office in which one candidate is to be elected, the election shall be conducted using instant runoff voting. Ballots shall be counted in rounds simulating a series of runoffs until two candidates remain or until one candidate has more votes than the combined vote total of all remaining candidates. In each round, each ballot shall be counted as a vote for the remaining candidate ranked highest by the elector, and the candidate with the smallest number of votes shall be eliminated. If two or more candidates are tied for the smallest number of votes, the candidate to be eliminated shall be chosen by lot.

(5) Multi-Winner Offices — Single Transferable Vote Method. For any election in which two or more candidates are to be elected to office simultaneously, the election shall be conducted using the single transferable vote method, in which a winning threshold is calculated based on the number of seats to be filled and the number of votes cast so that no more than the correct number of candidates can win. The ballots shall be counted in rounds, with surplus votes transferred from winning candidates and candidates with the fewest votes eliminated according to the methodology established by the secretary of state by rule, until the number of candidates remaining equals the number of seats to be filled.

(6) Ballot Counting — Centralized Tabulation. In an election using a ranked voting method, election judges shall not count votes at the polling location but shall deliver all ballots cast in the election to the designated election official, who shall count the votes in accordance with C.R.S. § 1-7-1003 and the rules adopted by the Secretary of State pursuant to C.R.S. § 1-7-1004(1).

(7) Required Reports. For each election conducted using a ranked voting method, the City Clerk or designated election official shall issue the following reports:

(A) A summary report listing the total number of votes for each candidate in each round;

(B) A ballot image report listing, for each ballot, the order in which the elector ranked the candidates, the precinct of the ballot, and whether the ballot is a mail ballot; and

(C) A comprehensive report listing the results in the summary report by precinct. Preliminary versions of the summary report and ballot image report shall be made available to the public as soon as practicable after the commencement of the official canvass.

(8) Voter Education. The City Clerk or designated election official shall conduct a voter education campaign explaining the ranked voting method prior to any election conducted under this section, in accordance with C.R.S. § 1-7-1003(5).

(9) Adaptation of Election Procedures. The City Clerk or designated election official may adapt the requirements of applicable municipal election law, including requirements concerning the form of the ballot, the method of marking the ballot, the procedure for counting ballots, and the form of election judges’ certificates, as necessary for compatibility with the ranked voting method, in accordance with C.R.S. § 31-10-1301(2).

(10) Coordinated Election Option. The City may refer any municipal election using ranked choice voting methods to be conducted as part of a coordinated election administered by the Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder by providing written notice in the manner and within the time required by C.R.S. § 1-7-118, provided the county uses a voting system certified by the Secretary of State for use in instant runoff voting and single transferable vote elections.

(11) Supersession of Conflicting Provisions. This section supersedes any provision of the Charter or the Englewood Municipal Code that requires or provides for the election of candidates by plurality vote, meaning election of the candidate receiving the highest number of votes regardless of whether a majority has been obtained, including any such provision adopted prior to the effective date of this amendment. To the extent any other provision of the Charter or Municipal Code conflicts with this section, this section controls.

Questions?

For further information, please call the City Clerk’s office, 303-762-2430.