OUR WORK
Our work with Portland United for Change
Portland voters approved measure 26-228, Ranked Choice Voting, city council districts and professional city management
What's Changing
- Allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, using ranked-choice voting.
- Establish 4 geographic districts, with three city council members elected to represent each district – expanding city council to a total of 12 members.
- Establish a city council that focuses on setting policy and engaging with community, transitioning day-to-day oversight of bureaus to a mayor elected citywide and a professional city administrator.
Source: Adapted from Portland.gov/Transition/Overview. Learn more at PortlandUnitedforChange.com
Timeline
- September 2023 - New geographic districts adopted, elected official salaries established.
- November 2024 - Portland voters elect new leaders using ranked-choice voting and geographic districts. The mayor and half the city council will run for four-year terms; the city auditor and the other half of the city council will run for initial two-year terms.
- January 2025 - New city council enters into the new form of government’s roles and responsibilities.
How ranked-choice voting works
- Ranked-choice voting is now used in more than 50 U.S. cities and counties, including New York City and Portland, Maine. Voter participation has increased in communities that made the switch, including Benton County in Oregon. Multnomah County and Portland voters both decided in November 2022 to transition to ranked-choice voting.
- Starting in November 2024, Portland voters will have the opportunity to rank candidates in order of preference – one of three major changes underway for the city’s election system and form of government.
- Portland joins a growing number of communities abandoning the traditional “plurality” voting system, in which voters choose one candidate and the person with the most votes wins.