Ranked Choice Voting

This past November, Portland voters used ranked choice voting to cast their ballots for Mayor, Auditor, and City Council for the first time, and Multnomah County will begin using this system in the November 2026 election. We’ve compiled simple instructions, video explainers, and answers to frequently asked questions to give voters the information - and confidence - to make their voice heard in this election.

  • Ranked choice voting lets you rank candidates in order of preference. You put the candidate you like best first, your next favorite candidate second, and so on. You will be able to rank up to six candidates for Mayor, Auditor, and City Council on your ballot. If there’s a candidate you really don’t like, just don’t rank them.

  • You will have the option to rank up to six candidates on your ballot. Even if there are more than six candidates running, you will still only be able to rank up to six.

  • Yes! Ranking candidates is optional. If you want to only support one candidate and have no back-up choices, just rank your favorite candidate first and move on to the next contest on your ballot.

  • No! In fact, ranking candidates you don’t like is risky because your vote could ultimately help put them in office if your higher choices get eliminated in earlier rounds. Here’s a quick video explaining how this works.


  • If you make a mistake on your ballot, don’t worry! There are a couple of different ways you can fix it, which you can read more about here. You also have the option to order a replacement ballot.

    Note: You cannot change your vote or request a replacement ballot once you’ve mailed or dropped off the original ballot.

  • All City of Portland contests will use ranked choice voting, including: Portland Mayor, Auditor, and 12 City Council positions. Starting in November 2026, Multnomah County will also use ranked choice voting to elect the following officials: County Chair, County Commissioners, Auditor, Sheriff.

  • After all first choice votes are counted, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. For anyone who voted for the eliminated candidate, their votes are allocated to their second choice candidate. The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated again, and the process continues until the threshold is reached to declare a winner.

    In the Mayor’s race where there is only one winner, a candidate will need to secure 50% plus one vote to be declared the winner. 


    In the City Council races, where each district will elect three councilors, the winner will be determined by the first three candidates to receive 25% plus one vote. Learn more about how ballots for City Council races will be counted by watching this video. You can also find more answers to common questions about how RCV ballots get counted here.

  • Millions of voters across the United States are already using ranked choice voting including in Maine, Alaska, San Francisco, Minneapolis, New York, and even right here in Benton County, Oregon.

  • Go to portlandmaps.com to find your City Council District.