See something we could improve on this page? Give website feedback.
Label:
Information
Learn more about why Portland has ranked choice voting, how to correctly fill in your ballot, common myths and facts, and the main differences between single-winner and multi-winner ranked choice voting.
Why Ranked Choice Voting?
In 2022, voters approved amendments to the City Charter that changed Portland's form of government. This included changes to the responsibilities and composition of City Council, the creation of voting districts, and the transition to ranked choice voting. The Portland Charter Commission had numerous desired outcomes to guide this transition including a more participatory, reflective, and responsive government. Read more about the Portland Charter Commission's goals here: Charter: Desired Outcomes
These desired outcomes apply to all aspects of the governance transition and ranked choice voting is one piece of the puzzle. In ranked choice voting, the preferences of a majority of a district's voters influence the outcome of an election. This method eliminates primary elections and results in just one general election. Ranked choice voting attempts to be more representative of the community and aims to reduce the extreme partisanship that is characteristic of many elections.
Correctly Filling in Your Ballot
Example of a correct ballot
This ranked-choice ballot is filled in correctly:
- Only one candidate is selected for each rank (only one oval filled in per column).
- No candidate is ranked more than once (only one oval filled in per row).
Common Mistakes to Avoid
What happens if you rank two candidates in the same rank, skip a ranking, or rank a candidate multiple times?
If you choose multiple candidates in the same ranking — for example, if 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, B, G and H all as your first choice, the votes for Candidates A, B, G and H become invalid and Candidate C (the next highest ranked in rank 3) is elevated to your first choice.
Skipped 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.
Repeat Rankings
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.
What do I do if I Make a Mistake on my Ballot?
- If you make a mistake on your ballot, you can correct it. See the examples below for how to correct your ballot if you fill in more than one oval in a column or a row.
- It is critical that you make your choice obvious because election workers will inspect each ballot to make sure voter intent is understood and the ballot is counted correctly.
- If your ballot has been destroyed or has an error that cannot be corrected, you can order a replacement ballot. Please note: You cannot change your vote or order a replacement ballot once you've mailed or dropped off your ballot.