Portland transition: ranked-choice voting

Learn more about ranked choice voting and the November 2024 elections at Portland.gov/Vote2024.

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. 

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. 

View a more detailed explanation at Portland.Gov/Vote/Ranked-Choice-Voting.

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