No Majority Winner
The winner of the 2017 Provo primary mayoral election received only 40% of the total vote.
Nine candidates competed in the primary election resulting in three top candidates. Michelle Kaufusi and Sherrie Hall Everett got the top two spots with Odell Miner coming in only one percentage point below Everett (19.8% to 20.7%).
2017 Provo Mayor Primary Elections
| Candidate | Total Votes | Percentage of Votes |
| Michelle G. Kaufusi
|
3891 | 30.2% |
| Sherrie Hall Everett | 2677 | 20.7% |
| Odell Miner | 2548 | 19.8% |
Even though Miner was a top contender, he was not included in the final election because it was limited to two candidates. Based on the results of the primary, Miner decided to run as a write-in.
When the final election results came in, there was no majority winner because Kaufusi only received 40% of the vote. The low percentage was largely a result of Miner’s write-in votes.
Final Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage |
| Michelle Kaufusi | 5,856 | 40.4% |
| Sherri Hall Everett | 5,021 | 34.6% |
| Odell Miner | 3,612 | 25.0% |
A better outcome with ranked choice voting
If ranked choice voting had been used for the Provo election, Odell Miner would have been eliminated in the first round. Then for the second round, Miner’s voters could have had their second choice candidate included in the final count.
The final vote would have included everyone’s choices and would have shown a clear majority winner.