Emily Buss has won the Forward Party of Utah’s Approval Voting preference poll to replace outgoing State Senator Daniel Thatcher in Senate District 11. Her name has been formally submitted to Governor Cox for official appointment. Senator Thatcher is officially retired from office, effective as of 10:00am today.
A total of 1,324 votes were successfully cast through a first-of-its-kind online voting system that used Approval Voting, an alternative voting method that allows voters to approve of more than one candidate. The candidate with the highest number of total approvals is declared the winner.
This process marked the first time a political party has voluntarily opened a midterm replacement vote to all registered voters in a district, regardless of party affiliation, while also using Approval Voting for a state legislative selection. Final results and a full vote distribution chart are as follows
Approval Percentage is calculated by dividing the number of approvals a candidate received by the total number of ballots cast. It represents the percentage of voters who approved that candidate. Because voters may approve more than one candidate, total approvals across all candidates will exceed the number of ballots cast.
Additional information will be released next week, including a detailed evaluation of voter participation by city, party affiliation, and age range. Several elements of this process are believed to be unprecedented in U.S. politics and are expected to be of interest to election administrators, clerks, and election officials nationwide.
A full academic evaluation of the process is planned in partnership with the Center for Election Science, with findings to be released in the months ahead.
For more information, visit 11chooses.com.
Visit utahforwardparty.org for previous press releases on this subject.
Quote from Emily Buss
“I am honored, surprised, and grateful to the voters of District 11 for placing their trust in me. But this isn’t about me, this is about the people I represent. Together, we will work toward common sense solutions that will strengthen our communities, support our families, and bring a brighter future for District 11 and all Utahns. There is a lot to be done. Let’s get to work.”
Quote from Daniel Thatcher
“Serving the people of Utah for the past 15 years has been my honor, and I am deeply grateful for the trust and partnership of my constituents. I want to thank the Forward Party for facilitating an open, transparent, and historic process with more participation than any replacement process in Utah history. Seeing every registered voter in this district invited to participate gives me tremendous confidence in the future of our community and its leadership. Congratulations to Senator Elect Buss and more importantly, to her constituents.”
