If this measure passes, it would make Portland one of a few dozen cities around the U.S. that uses ranked-choice voting. That measure is Measure 26-228. It would do away with Portland’s commission form of government and replace it with a city council form of government. The city would be divided into four city council districts, each with three members — forming a council of 12 people.
Measure 26-228 also asks Portlanders to adopt proportional ranked-choice voting, also known as single transferable vote. Residents of Portland will vote on a ballot measure next week that would completely overhaul the way City Hall works, amid growing voter frustration over surging homelessness and crime.
It would get rid of the city’s unusual commission form of government and implement a rare form of ranked choice voting not used in any other U.S. city. And, there is money going into the measure from different groups.
A search of campaign finance donations on the Oregon Secretary of State’s website shows that one group, Portland United for Change, had received a total of $137,164 in out-of-state donations to support the measure. This is reported to amount to roughly 14% of the committee’s total contributions.
FairVote, another organization supporting the measure considers the ranked-choice voting method it would implement “the gold standard.” This group said it has advocated for ranked-choice voting nationally for 30 years. It’s rep recently told local media that Portland’s charter commission and dozens of neighborhood groups, whose years of engagement and coalition-building for better elections are a model for community-driven reform across the nation.
