Portlanders are about to see a shift at the polls from the traditional 'pick one' method to a more nuanced voting system. Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is set to debut for City of Portland and Multnomah County candidate contests – with the former implementing the system this November and the latter following suit in November 2026. As reported by Multnomah County News, officials are moving ahead with public engagement and voter education campaigns to smooth the transition.
Despite adopting a new voting method, much about the election process will remain familiar to residents. Multnomah County’s election bigwig, Tim Scott, told the county that the RCV system allows voters to rank candidates in preference order rather than just one. This switch promises a more fair reflection of public opinion, particularly in tight races.
Chair Jessica Vega Pederson briefed the Board of County Commissioners regarding the new voting system, highlighting the adoption of well-established best practices in Ranked Choice Voting election administration. She also encouraged voters to give the new system a whirl ahead of time, using a virtual sample ballot available for practice. The aim is to stave off any confusion come November, ensuring voters are confident when casting their newly formatted ballots. The upcoming election will apply single-winner RCV for Portland's Mayor and Auditor and multi-winner RCV for the City Council candidate contests.
To say that the preparation for RCV's implementation has been anything short of a cross-county collaboration and meticulous planning would be an understatement. Leah Benson, the Ranked Choice Voting Project Manager, detailed rigorous preparation phases, including developing updated codes and coordinating with other counties to administer these contests. These efforts, alongside a comprehensive public education plan, are purposed to ensure that come election day, the new system runs like clockwork.
Understanding the process is fundamental so the county isn’t skimping on timely and targeted voter education. They’ve launched a campaign that spans various media and directly addresses communities that have been traditionally underrepresented at the polls. According to the county news, this approach reflects best practices from other jurisdictions where RCV is the norm.
RCV might sound like a number-crunching nightmare, but it's relatively straightforward. Single-winner RCV will have voters fill out a grid-style ballot where a candidate is eliminated and votes transferred each round until someone snags a majority (50% plus one vote). Multi-winner RCV, however, sees excess votes from winning candidates reallocated based on voters' subsequent preferences. All this will be detailed in multiple formats when election results are reported – a detailed tabulation report, a round-by-round clickable bar chart, and a simplified summary table.
A hand recount procedure for multi-winner contests has been established as part of the voter education emphasis. Plus, a robust arrangement with the Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center to fine-tune the process has been made, proving Multnomah County is taking no chances when it comes to ensuring fair play and transparency.
