Official results
Active voters in Boulder: 68,885
Turnout: 49%
Precinct with highest turnout: 868 (Highland Park near King Soopers in Table Mesa) 67.72%
Precinct with lowest turnout: 876 (on Uni Hill) 4.54%
See a map of turnout by precinct
Boulder city council
Mark Wallach: 17,683
Matt Benjamin: 16,501
Nicole Speer: 16,287
Lauren Folkerts: 15,763
Tara Winer: 15,205
Michel Christy: 14,558
Dan Williams: 13,614
Steve Rosenblum: 13,309
David Takahashi: 8,429
Jacques Decalo: 3,908
Ballot Question 300 (Bedrooms Are For People)
Yes…47.67% (15,756)
No….52.33% (17,296)
Total ballots counted: 33,052
Ballot Question 301 (Fur ban)
Yes…51.01% (16,163)
No….48.99% (15,523)
Total ballots counted: 31,686
Ballot Question 302 (CU South)
Yes…43.22% (13,871)
No….56.78% (18,224)
Total ballots counted: 32,095
Ballot issue 2I (Community, Culture, Safety, Resilience tax extension)
Yes…86.32% (27,904)
No….13.68% (4,421)
Total ballots counted: 32,325
Ballot issue 2J (Debt related to tax extension)
Yes…80.49% (25,406)
No….19.51% (6,159)
Total ballots counted: 31,565
Ballot issue 2K (Council subcommittees)
Yes…75.04% (21,154)
No….24.96% (7,036)
Total ballots counted: 28,190
Ballot issue 2L (Petition signatures)
Yes…87.02% (26,458)
No….12.98% (3,947)
Total ballots counted: 30,405
Ballot issue 2M (Council pay schedule)
Yes…79.8% (24,484)
No….20.2% (6,196)
Total ballots counted: 30,680
Above are the official results, which represent the will of the people — at least the ones who showed up to vote.
Turnout in off-year elections is famously low, and not just in Boulder. Nationally, about 60% of the voting population cast ballots in presidential elections; just 40% do in off-year midterm contests, according to Fair Vote.
Congressional races drive local participation. In 2018, for example, Boulder County’s turnout was 82.35% and the city of Boulder neighborhood with the lowest turnout still saw more than 62% of residents cast a ballot. This year, with no state or national elected officials on the ballot, turnout was just 47.3% countywide, and the lowest-participation precinct posted voter turnout in the single digits, below 5%.
Those super low-participation years — every other odd year (2017, 2019, 2021 and so on) — are when Boulder’s city council gets elected.
An analysis by Boulder Beat found that 25% or fewer of active, registered voters picked Boulder’s elected officials this year. That can’t all be blamed on low turnout: the city’s at-large plurality system, in which the top five vote-getters win seats, means that voters split their picks among 10 or sometimes 15 candidates, giving each candidate a lower share.
Here, a look at how many votes each candidate and issue won from this year’s voters and from active voters in the city overall. To avoid confusion, final results of each contest are shown in bold.
Council candidates
Mark Wallach: Won with 17,683 votes
– 52.4% of voters in this election
– 25.7% of active Boulder voters
Matt Benjamin: Won with 16,501 votes
– 48.9% of voters in this election
– 24% of active Boulder voters
Nicole Speer: Won with 16,287 votes
– 48.2% of voters in this election
– 23.6% of active Boulder voters
Lauren Folkerts: Won with 15,763 votes
– 46.7% of voters in this election
– 22.9% of active Boulder voters
Tara Winer: Won with 15,205 votes
– 45% of voters in this election
– 22.1% of active Boulder voters
Michael Christy: Lost with 14,558 votes
_ 43.1% of voters in this election
– 21.1% of active Boulder voters
Dan Wiliams: Lost with 13,614 votes
– 40.3% of voters in this election
– 19.8% of active Boulder voters
Steve Rosenblum: Lost with 13,309 votes
– 39.4% of voters in this election
– 19.3% of active Boulder voters
David Takahashi: Lost with 8,429
– 25% of voters in this election
– 12.2% of active Boulder voters
Jacques Decalo: Lost with 3,908
– 11.6% of voters in this election
– 5.7% of active Boulder voters
Ballot issues
Ballot question 300 – Bedrooms Are For People
No: 17,296 voters
– 51.2% of voters in this election
– 25.1% of active Boulder voters
Yes: 15,756 votes
– 46.7% of voters in this election
– 22.9% of active Boulder voters
Ballot question 301 – Fur ban
Yes: 16,163 votes
– 47.9% of voters in this election
– 23.5% of active Boulder voters
No: 15,523 votes
– 46% of voters in this election
– 22.5% of active Boulder voters
Ballot question 302 – Let the Voters Decide on CU South
No: 18,224 votes
– 54% of voters in this election
– 26.5% of active Boulder voters
Yes: 13,871 votes
– 41.1% of voters in this election
– 26.5% of active Boulder voters
Ballot issue 2I – Infrastructure sales tax extension
Yes: 27,904 votes
– 82.6% of voters in this election
– 40.5% of active Boulder voters
No: 4,421 votes
– 13.1% of voters in this election
– 6.4% of active Boulder voters
Ballot issue 2J – Debt related to tax extension
Yes: 25,406 votes
– 75.2% of voters in this election
– 36.9% of active Boulder voters
No: 6,159 votes
– 18.2% of voters in this election
– 8.9% of active Boulder voters
Ballot issue 2K – Council subcommittees
Yes: 21,154 votes
– 62.6% of voters in this election
– 30.7% of active Boulder voters
No: 7,036 votes
– 20.8% of voters in this election
– 10.2% of active Boulder voters
Ballot issue 2L – Petition signatures
Yes: 26,458 votes
– 81.3% of voters in this election
– 39.9% of active Boulder voters
No: 3,947 votes
– 11.7% of voters in this election
– 5.7% of active Boulder voters
Ballot issue 2M – Council pay schedule
Yes: 24,484 votes
– 72.5% of voters in this election
– 35.5% of active Boulder voters
No: 6,196 votes
– 18.3% of voters in this election
– 9% of active Boulder voters
— Shay Castle, @shayshinecastle
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Elections ballot Bedrooms Are For People Boulder citizen petitions city council city of Boulder Community Culture Safety Tax CU South elections fur ban occupancy limits tax extension