When is the election? Who will we vote for?
The election is on Nov. 5, 2024. Portlanders will elect three councilors per district, for 12 councilors total, a mayor, and an auditor.
What is Portland's new voting system?
Currently, Portland voters cast one vote for each candidate for each office in citywide elections for mayor, auditor, and city council members. Starting in November 2024, the City of Portland will move to district-based elections using ranked choice voting. Portlanders will elect three City Councilors to present their district, along with a citywide Mayor and Auditor using ranked choice voting.
What is ranked choice voting?
In a ranked choice voting system, voters have the option to rank candidates in order of preference instead of selecting only one candidate.
To find out who wins, votes are counted in a series of rounds. In each round, one of two things happens: either a winning candidate is identified and elected, or the candidate in last place is eliminated and voters who ranked that candidate as their first choice will have their votes counted for their next choice.
Ranked choice voting results in one general election, eliminating primary elections.
How will the Mayor and Auditor be elected?
The Mayor and Auditor will be elected city-wide using single-winner ranked choice voting. Once a candidate receives more than 50% 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 voters who ranked that candidate as their first choice will have their vote shifted to those their next choice. A new round begins, and this continues until a winner is declared.
How will City Councilors be elected?
Council members will be elected using multi-winner ranked choice voting. With multi-winner ranked choice voting, three candidates per district will be elected using one ballot. Any candidate receiving more than 25% of the votes in a round is declared a winner. If any candidate has received more votes than needed to win, a portion of their extra votes are shifted to their voters’ next ranked choice. If no winner is determined in a round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and voters who ranked that candidate as their first choice will have their vote shifted to their next choice. A new round begins, and this continues until three winners are declared.