Fun Fact of the Week: Otanes would be Proud
In 2022 a ballot was passed by 57% of Multnomah County voters to completely rework the way that voting happens in Portland. So let’s learn about it to make Otanes proud (Freshman, you’ll get to this on October 30. Herodotus, The Histories, Book Three, Chapter 80 if you’re interested).
How Does it Work?
In the new system, called Ranked Choice Voting, instead of selecting one candidate from a list, voters will rank their preferences for candidates. Votes will be presented with a grid, on the Y-Axis, the candidates in the race, and on the X-Axis, six columns for voters to rank their choices. A voter fills in the oval of the leftmost column for their favorite candidate, then the 2nd column for their second choice, and so on. A voter is not obligated to come up with a full rank of 6; you may choose to leave some ranking columns blank.
The mayoral race will use single-winner ranked-choice voting. In this process: 1) Once a candidate receives more than half of the votes in a given round, that candidate is declared the winner. 2) If no winner is determined in a round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and any votes for that candidate are shifted to those voters' next choice. 3) A new round begins, and this continues until a winner is declared.
The City Council race will use multi-winner ranked choice voting, or Single Transferable Vote (the same type of system used in Reed Student Body elections). In this process: 1) Any candidate receiving more than 25% of the votes in a round is declared a winner. 2) If any candidate has received more votes than required to win, their extra votes are shifted to those voters’ next choice. 3) If no winner is determined in a round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and any votes for that candidate are shifted to those voters’ next choice. 4) A new round begins, and this continues until three candidates have received more than 25% of the vote. The winners are declared.
Misc Notes:
‘Round’ does not mean there will be another election, it’s just on the counting side of things.
The city will continue running as normal until January 2025 when the representatives elected this November are sworn into office.
All elected officials are elected as non-partisan candidates. (So you actually have to investigate what their positions are.)
What’s at Stake?
In City Elections:
Reedies (unless you live far off campus) will be voting for District 4 Representatives, along with the entire west side of Portland. We will elect three representatives to sit on the City Council of 12 members, who will stay in office for 2 years after this initial election. Previously there were only five members on the city council, which were all voted for city-wide. This change is supposed to allow for greater local representation.
There are 30 candidates currently in the race. If this seems like an overwhelming number of candidates, consider searching for the political endorsements of your favorite local organizations. The Portland Mercury has an article detailing the platforms of each candidate, and links to their websites.
The city council will have the power to pass legislation and create specialized commissions to address the city's needs.
Reedies also have a say in the mayoral race, which has 19 candidates. The Mayor of Portland “will act as the public-facing voice for the city, breaking ties on the council and managing day-to-day operations with a new city administrator.” The mayor will also be tasked with carrying out the laws passed by the city council, per Axios.
In County Elections:
Reedies will vote for Multnomah County Commissioner District 3.
In State Elections:
Reedies will vote for Oregon Senate District 21, and Oregon House of Representatives District 41. There are also races for Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Treasurer. There will also be 5 ballot measures this election, per BallotPedia. They are:
Allow the Legislature to impeach elected state executives
Establish the Independent Public Service Compensation Commission to determine certain public officials' salaries
Establish ranked-choice voting (RCV) for federal and state offices in Oregon
Require Oregon issue rebates to residents from surplus corporate tax revenue
Require cannabis businesses to submit to the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission a signed labor peace agreement between the business and a labor organization with its licensure or renewal application
National Elections:
Reedies will vote for US Congressional District 3, as well as in the presidential election.
Register to Vote!
THERE IS STILL TIME TO REGISTER TO VOTE! October 15 is the last day!
SEEDS has a program called Reedies VOTE! Which, unsurprisingly, can help you register to vote. Check out their website, or all of the little fliers with QR codes all around campus.
Even if you don’t think you’re eligible to vote, it’s worth checking it out, just in case.
Additional Resources:
SEEDS – Reedies Vote: https://www.reed.edu/seeds/initiatives/voter-engagement.html
The City of Portland’s Video on Rank Choice Voting: https://www.portland.gov/vote/resources/videos
Fuzzy Puppets on How Portland’s Rank Choice Voting Works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iZLW8FzUxQ&t=159s
CGP Grey On Alternative Voting: The Alternative Vote Explained (youtube.com)
A Mock Election on Ice Cream Flavors to practice filling out a ballot: RankedVote: Vote for Top three Kate's Ice Cream flavors to serve at our town halls
All City Council meetings are open to the public, and any member of the public may apply to submit testimony to the council (See https://www.portland.gov/council-clerk/engage-council). Meetings are held every Wednesday at 9:30am at 1900 SW Fourth Avenue, Portland, OR 97201. The Max Orange line runs from just below the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, and would drop you off within one block of the meeting.