In 2018 Utah lawmakers passed a bill allowing cities to try ranked choice voting through January 2026.
Ranked choice voting is an alternative election method in which primaries are eliminated and candidates are ranked by preference.
On Thursday, the Park City Council discussed the possibility of using it in the 2025 election — when the mayor’s seat and two spots on the city council will be up for grabs.
Council members Ryan Dickey and Tana Toly both expressed support for trying ranked choice voting. Dickey cited its simplicity and referenced the speed of France’s recent legislative election.
“France just elected their president and it took two weeks,” Dickey said. “In Park City we have these elections for city council that just go on and on.”
Toly, who is up for reelection next year, said it could remove the financial burden of running a campaign.
“I spent quite a bit of money that I don’t think I would have spent had I not had to go through a primary,” Toly said. “I think we just want to create way less of a barrier. And if money is one of those things to getting people to not wanna run, then I want to make sure that they do know that they can run and they don’t have to spend that kind of money.”
During the legislative session earlier this year, some lawmakers tried to block cities from using ranked choice voting.
Their efforts were unsuccessful, however it’s unclear if ranked choice voting will be allowed in Utah after 2025.
That uncertain future left other Park City council members unsure about whether to pursue ranked choice voting.
During public comment at Thursday’s meeting, Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson expressed concerns about ranked choice voting. Davidson cited the recent city council election in Lehi, which drew 17 candidates.
He said while ranked choice voting provides some benefits, there are challenges.
“It’s like medicine, it works until it doesn’t,” Davidson said. “Everyone thinks it’s great. There’s a lot of great things about it. The idea of it I like. But there’s just some complexities that people just can’t quite figure out.”
The council did not make a final decision Thursday. A new study by Utah Valley University analyzing ranked choice voting throughout the state is expected to be released soon.
The council plans to revisit the topic and look at the study’s results sometime later this year.
The city must notify the lieutenant governor’s office by May 1 if it intends to use ranked choice voting in the 2025 election.
