Revolutionary New Voting Method Bolstered By over 16,000 Voters in Oregon County

image
Published: 09 Jul, 2018
Updated: 17 Oct, 2022
2 min read

LANE COUNTY, ORE. - A new voting method is close to appearing on the November ballot in Lane County, Oregon. County election officials certified more than the 11,506 signatures needed to qualify STAR Voting for the 2018 general election. It must be reviewed by the Lane County Counsel to ensure it qualifies as a single-subject amendment to officially be on the ballot.

STAR (Score-Then-Automatic-Runoff) Voting allows voters to score each candidate 0 to 5. A zero score means no support at all, while a 5 score represents maximum support. The two candidates who score the highest move on to an automatic runoff. The finalist who is scored the highest by the most voters wins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiQ9Z5sME00

The initiative would replace the county's nonpartisan primary and top-two general election with a single November election using the STAR method.

"We believe this reform will be a big improvement: it’ll save candidates and voters the time, money, and hassle of two elections to make the same choice," says Mark Frohnmayer, co-petitioner of the STAR Voting initiative and president of Arcimoto.

"It’ll allow candidates to campaign during the warm summer months instead of knocking doors in the winter rain, and we’ll finally be able to support candidates we really like, without having to consider how much backing they have or who the polls say are the ‘viable’ candidates."

Petitioners were able to collect over 16,000 signatures to put STAR Voting on the ballot. They did this with the help of nearly 50 volunteers and active citizens in the community who started collecting signatures during the Women's March in January and finished on Independence Day.

“Asking our fellow citizens to discuss the next evolution of democracy on this July 4th was a revolutionary moment in my life,’’ said STAR Voting For Lane County Campaign Manager Hallie Roberts. "We look forward to Lane County Counsel’s speedy review and confirmation of the measure’s standing on the November ballot.”

Lane County would be the first jurisdiction in the United States to implement STAR Voting if approved. The initiative applies to elections for county commissioners, the county sheriff, and county assessor.

IVP Donate

Stay tuned for more on this story.

Latest articles

CA capitol building dome with flags.
Why is CA Senator Mike McGuire Trying to Kill the Legal Cannabis Industry?
California’s legal cannabis industry is under mounting pressure, and in early June, state lawmakers and the governor appeared poised to help. A bill to freeze the state’s cannabis excise tax at 15% sailed through the State Assembly with a unanimous 74-0 vote. The governor’s office backed the plan. And legal cannabis businesses, still struggling to compete with unregulated sellers and mounting operating costs, saw a glimmer of hope....
03 Jul, 2025
-
7 min read
I voted buttons
After First RCV Election, Charlottesville Voters Back the Reform: 'They Get It, They Like It, They Want to Do It Again'
A new survey out of Charlottesville, Virginia, shows overwhelming support for ranked choice voting (RCV) following the city’s first use of the system in its June Democratic primary for City Council. Conducted one week after the election, the results found that nearly 90% of respondents support continued use of RCV....
03 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Crowd in Time Square.
NYC Exit Survey: 96% of Voters Understood Their Ranked Choice Ballots
An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections....
01 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read