Multnomah County Elections has unfurled a data report that dissects the engagement of Portland voters with the new ranked-choice voting system in the November 5, 2024, general election. The release, marked as the first instance for the city's electorate to navigate through this voting style, indicates a mix of participation that varies notably across different districts, especially highlighting lower engagement in Portland's District 1.
The report, which categorizes data from the certified vote record of Dec. 2, takes an analytical lens to voter turnout, undervote statistics, and specific errors related to ranked-choice voting, such as voting for more than one candidate per rank or repeat rankings of the same candidate. 71% of Portland voters cast a ranked-choice voting ballot, a slight dip from the nearly 75% who returned their non-ranked-choice ballots.
The narrative varies when one looks at District 1, dominating east Portland with a historical precedent of low engagement compared to other city regions. In this election, only 55% of District 1 voters returned marked ranked-choice ballots, suggesting a disconnect in participation levels across the city. Notably, nearly 21% of District 1 voters omitted to rank any candidates for the City Council, a concerning figure when held up against other districts which ranged from nearly 12% to nearly 16%, as per the information enveloped in the official release.
When grappling with the ranked-choice system itself, errors were more prevalent in District 1. The same district saw a slightly higher tendency for overvotes and repeat rankings. Contrasting with 91% of voters citywide who reported understanding the ranked-choice voting mechanism, District 1 lagged, ushering in an imperative question about the efficacy and accessibility of voter education efforts. "This data informs our planning, and that planning will help us better serve voters across our County with the information and resources they need to make decisions about their ballots," Tim Scott, the Elections Director, acknowledged in a statement.
Looking forward to the 2026 elections where single-winner ranked-choice voting will expand to encompass Multnomah County contests, the Elections Division vows to dissect the November 2024 election data and finetune their workflow processes. Collaboration with Portland to enhance voter education and engagement, particularly targeted at equity, is highlighted as a cornerstone of their future strategy. To glean insights into this election's insights, the detailed data tables as presented in the Elections' Ballot Data Report are accessible online for public scrutiny.
