How does Ranked-Choice Voting work?

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Learn more about ranked-choice voting and how to vote in the 2024 election.

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In the November 5, 2024 General Election, the Mayor and Auditor will be elected in city-wide contests using single-winner ranked-choice voting, while 12 Council members (three per district) will be elected using multi-winner ranked-choice voting

However, the voting experience won't change much. Portlanders will have a choice for three contests: Mayor, Auditor, and City Councilors from each district. The ballot will show each eligible office with corresponding candidates next to it and space for write-in options.

Portland voters will then make up to six selections for each of the three contests, ranking their choices in order of preference. 

Electing the Mayor and Auditor

Single-Winner Ranked-Choice Voting  

  • Once a candidate receives more than half of the votes in a given round, that candidate is declared the winner. 
  • If no winner is determined in a round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and any votes for that candidate are shifted to those voters' next choice. 
  • A new round begins, and this continues until a winner is declared. 
A graphic that explains how ranked-choice voting works. If a candidate has the majority of the votes, then they are the winner. But if a candidate doesn't have the majority of the votes, the candidate in last place is eliminated until one candidate has over 50%.

Electing District Council Members

Multi-Winner Ranked-Choice Voting 

  • Any candidate receiving more than 25% of the votes in a round is declared a winner. 
  • If any candidate has received more votes than required to win, their extra votes are shifted to those voters’ next choice. 
  • If no winner is determined in a round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and any votes for that candidate are shifted to those voters’ next choice. 
  • A new round begins, and this continues until three candidates have received at least 25% of the vote.  The winners are declared. 

Voter Intention 

It is important to understand how skipped votes, overvotes, and repeat rankings work when filling out a ballot to ensure your intent as a voter is best captured.  

Skipped Rankings  

A ranked-choice voting ballot where the voter skipped the second, fourth, and fifth place rankings.

When filling out your ballot, if you skip any ranking, the next highest ranking will be elevated to take its place in the counting process.

In the example above, if you rank Candidate A as your first choice, Candidate C as your third choice, Candidate B as your sixth choice, and then skip all other rankings, Candidate C will be counted as your second choice and Candidate B as your third choice.  

Overvotes 

A sample ranked-choice voting ballot where the voter has selected two candidates in their rank 1 spot.

If you choose multiple candidates in the same ranking—for example, you rank two candidates as your first choice—that is called an overvote. Your overvote is ignored (all candidates in the ranking that has duplicates are ignored) and your next highest ranking is elevated to take the place of the overvote.

In the above example, if you rank Candidates A and B all as your first choice, the votes for candidates A and B become invalid and Candidate C is elevated to your first choice.  

Repeat Rankings  

A sample ranked-choice voting ballot where the voter has placed candidate A in the rank 1,2, and 3.

If you rank a single candidate multiple times, the highest ranking is accepted and each lower ranking for the same candidate is ignored as if you had skipped that ranking.

In the example above, if you rank Candidate A as your first, second, and third choices, and then rank Candidate F as your fourth choice, Candidate F is elevated to the position of your second choice.  


Read frequently asked questions on filling out the ranked-choice voting ballot

Read about the election code related to ranked-choice voting