The city of Portland is adopting a ranked-choice voting system for the first time in the upcoming November election.
In a ranked-choice voting election system, voters rank the candidates in order of preference. In Portland, voters will rank up to six candidates on the ballot. Voters can still choose to only vote for their top candidate.
If no candidate has earned over 50% of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated. The votes of the ballots who ranked the eliminated candidate first are redistributed to their second-choice candidate, and this process is repeated until a candidate has received a majority of the votes.
A plurality election system, where the candidate who gets the most votes wins, is the most common election system in America. Only three states and a handful of major cities have implemented it. Ranked-choice voting is intended to offer voters more choice of candidates in the political process. Associate Professor of Political Science Ben Gaskins offered some insight into the various advantages and disadvantages of ranked-choice voting.
“People are tired of the two party system, and want more options,” Gaskins said.
“Often the winner (in a plurality system) will be supported by a relatively small amount of that district or the whole city. That raises some questions of democratic legitimacy.”
Plurality systems often lead to two major candidates dominating the election, because those whose views align with smaller candidates do not want to split the vote in a way that could lead to an undesirable outcome. Voters will then strategically vote for candidates that have the best chance at winning against candidates they do not align with.
Olivia Clark is a City Council Candidate for District 4, which encompasses Lewis & Clark, West Portland, and some of Southeast Portland. Clark has had a long career in government and public service. She plans to prioritize public safety, houselessness and climate change if she is elected.
Clark expressed concern that ranked-choice voting would confuse voters due to the amount of options to keep track of. There are 30 city council candidates in District 4 alone. That puts a lot of pressure on the average voter to learn the policies of all these candidates, and select only a few to rank.
“I’m afraid that there will be a kind of voter burnout,” said Clark.
There will be three city council members elected for each district. Some have expressed concern that this system could increase confusion and decrease accountability by making it difficult for voters to trace policy decisions back to one candidate.
Clark suggested a few changes for Portland’s political system to make it more intuitive to voters.
“I would change it to 12 districts and one person elected from each district as opposed to three out of one district,” said Clark. “(this system) might be less confusing for people, and maybe they would be more invested in their particular smaller district.”
Portland could potentially serve as a model for restructuring elections around the United States. State-wide ranked-choice voting has already been implemented in Alaska and Maine. Ranked-choice voting has been used in a few city council elections across the country, but Portland is one of the first major cities to implement it.
Some states have implemented ranked-choice voting to nominate candidates for federal elections. Maine has ranked-choice voting for presidential elections. It remains to be seen whether ranked-choice voting will be enacted more broadly across the country.
It can feel exhausting to stay engaged in local politics, with ever-changing political systems and many candidates to choose from. Clark encouraged young voters to use the opportunity to make their voices heard this election.
“Educate yourself. Vote. Vote on what’s important to you,” said Clark.
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