Shawn Griffiths
Photo Credit: Alex Shuper / Unsplash
Two states currently use ranked choice voting (RCV) at the state level (Maine and Alaska). This number could substantially change in 2024 with RCV on the ballot in 4 states, including Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon.
Oregon is the only state where the proposal on the ballot (Measure 117) is solely an RCV initiative. If approved by voters, here is what Measure 117 would do.
It would replace the current choose-one voting method used for primary and general elections in the state with RCV starting in the 2028 election cycle. This initiative is unique because it affects primary elections as well.
Measure 117 would also make Oregon the second state, followed by Maine, to use RCV in presidential elections, along with elections for US Senate and House and state executive offices.
And, the measure would allow more local municipalities and election-based districts (like school districts) to adopt RCV's use as long as home rule charters do not forbid it.
Three jurisdictions in Oregon have already adopted RCV -- Benton County, Multnomah County, and the City of Portland.
Despite all the ways Measure 117 expands the use of RCV, the most historic aspect of it is it is the first statewide RCV initiative to be added to the ballot by the state legislature.
Oregon House Speaker Dan Rayfield said RCV "will give voters more choice, encourage voter engagement, and strengthen our democracy by improving peoples’ perception of elections and election outcomes."
RCV allows voters the option to rank candidates in order of preference (1st choice, 2nd choice, etc.) and if no candidate gets a majority of first choice selections, an instant runoff kicks in that eliminates the last place candidate.
The results then factor in the next choices of the voters who ranked the eliminated candidate as their top pick and additional rounds of elimination are held as needed until a single candidate has a majority vote.
In the end, the results should reflect how voters would have cast their ballot if the eliminated candidates were not on the ballot from the start.
For the voter, the only thing they need to worry about is ranking candidates like they would rank anything else in their daily lives, whether it is favorite movies or preferred foods.
Opponents of Measure 117 say the system in too complex for voters to understand. State Rep. E. Werner Reschke, for example, asks, "Why would we want to make the ballot even longer and more complicated with more choices?"
The confusion argument is common among RCV opponents but exit polling after voters have a chance to use it tend to show that most people find it simple -- though there is room for greater voter education efforts.
Some opponents to the measure say Oregon voters should hold off on implementing RCV's use at the state level until it has been tested. The Oregonian Editorial Board, for example, writes:
"Oregonians should hold off until voters can see how Multnomah County implements ranked-choice voting on the local level, starting with Portland city races this November."
The paper adds, "Multnomah is the state’s largest county and can provide helpful insight on implementation.
Measure 117 is supported by the ACLU of Oregon, Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, Common Cause Oregon, League of Women Voters of Oregon, Next Up Action Fund, Veterans for All Voters, RepresentUs, and FairVote Action.
In August, the "Yes on Measure 117" campaign announced endorsements from 75 different organizations.
“We’ve built this campaign around the support of our communities along with Oregon’s leading advocacy groups who understand voters across the state are ready for change,” said campaign Communications Director Caroline Phillips.
“With our diverse coalition in the lead, we will move Oregon away from the current system of picking between the lesser of two evils. Measure 117 gives voters more choices and a better way to vote.”
ACLU of Oregon Senior Policy Associate Emily Hawley argues that allowing ballot ranking "encourages more participation in voting and means that [a citizen's] vote becomes more meaningful and impactful."
No polling is available for Measure 117. However, Oregon offers an interesting case study on what RCV success looks like when state lawmakers put it on the ballot as opposed to a citizen-led campaign.
