Your Guide to Ranked-Choice Voting in Portland
In the November 5th election, Portland voters are using Ranked-Choice Voting to cast their ballots for Mayor, Auditor, and City Council. We’ve compiled simple instructions and answers to frequently asked questions to give voters the information - and confidence - to make their voice heard in this election.
How to Fill Out Your Ballot
You can choose to rank up to 6 candidates when you vote for Mayor, Auditor, and City Councilors.
The entire City of Portland will vote to elect 1 Mayor and 1 City Auditor. You will also have 3 City Councilors representing your district.
Follow these steps for each race:
STEP 1
Rank your favorite candidate 1st.
Fill out the oval for your 1st choice candidate in the 1st column, starting on the left.
You can only choose one candidate for each rank. Do not rank more than one candidate as your first ranking, or that ranking won’t count.
Three City Councilors will win, but only one candidate can be your #1.
STEP 2
Select any other candidates you like and rank them in order of preference.
After you have selected your 1st choice candidate, you can then choose a 2nd choice in the 2nd column. After your 2nd choice, you can pick a 3rd choice in the 3rd column, and keep making choices up to 6. Be sure you only rank candidates you support.
Fill in no more than one oval in each candidate’s row on your ballot. Fill in no more than one oval in each column for the rankings.
Ranking your choices means that if your 1st choice candidate doesn’t get enough votes, your vote can still help determine the winner.
Do not rank someone you don’t support.
STEP 3
Rank up to 6 candidates.
Ranking all 6 of your choices is the most powerful way to use your ballot, but it’s OK to choose fewer. Ranking more candidates will never hurt your 1st choice.
If you make a mistake, learn how to correct you rballot here or call 3-1-1 for help.
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Remember:
Do not rank candidates that you do not support.
You will be electing three City Council members to represent your district. Ranking 3 or more candidates gives you a greater say in who represents you.
Your rankings count: If your first choice doesn’t get enough votes, your vote can still count toward your 2nd choice, 3rd choice, and so on, all the way up to 6 choices.
When you use Ranked-Choice Voting, you can support candidates with different backgrounds, life experiences, and ideas that can help make our city government more effective—without worrying about wasting your vote.
Voting Information
Make a plan to vote
You will receive your ballot by mail. If you need assistance completing your ballot, fill out this form or call 3-1-1.
You will have many candidates to choose from this year. You can learn about them in the Voters’ Pamphlet you will receive in the mail. You can use this information to choose your favorite candidates. Some people like to set a time to vote with family or friends so they can talk about which candidate best speaks to their values and priorities.
Return your ballot by Tuesday, November 5
By mail:
Ballots must be postmarked by November 5. You do not need a stamp.
In-person:
Drop your ballot off at any official drop box location by 8:00 PM. Find your closest drop box here.
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Find your Portland City Council District here.
Want to practice?
You can download and print a sample ballot for your district here:
Participate in a mock election online here.
Need help?
Call Multnomah County Elections at (503) 988-8683 or go to www.multco.us/elections.
Don’t worry if you make a mistake! Learn how to correct it here.
Explainer Video
Frequently Asked Questions
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Ranked-Choice Voting lets you rank candidates in order of preference. In the City of Portland, 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.
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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.
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Yes! Ranking more than one candidate is optional. If you want to only support one candidate and have no backup choices, just rank your favorite candidate first and move on to the next contest on your ballot.
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No! In fact, ranking candidates you don’t like can help them win. If your higher choices get eliminated in earlier rounds. Here’s a quick video explaining how this works.
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You can learn about the candidates in your Voters’ Pamphlet that you will receive in the mail. You can also read the candidates’ statements online in Multnomah County’s official Voters’ Pamphlet. Click below to to read them online:
Mayor (p. 44–49)
City Council District 1 (p. 51–58)
City Council District 2 (p. 59–68)
City Council District 3 (p. 69–81)
City Council District 4 (p. 82–92)
Rose City Reform is an independent, nonpartisan website with a comprehensive guide to candidates, including their policy positions, backgrounds, and endorsements.
You can look to trusted organizations to learn more about the candidates and their positions and who they are supporting.
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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, watch this video, or call 3-1-1 if you need help. 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.
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When determining election results, it’s important to count 100% of ballots and make sure every voice counts.
To ensure transparency, Multnomah County will release preliminary results on their elections website, starting at 8:00 pm on election night, then daily through the Friday after election day, followed by regular updates after up until results are certified on December 2.
Just like any other race, the candidate leading in early results may not be the final winner. For every race in Oregon, election results are final once they are certified by the Secretary of State on Dec. 2.
Learn more from KGW.
More About Ranked-Choice Voting
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Ranked-Choice Voting gives voters more power. Even if your first choice candidate doesn’t win, you can still have a say in determining the outcome through your additional rankings..
You can vote for your favorite candidate—even if they’re a longshot—without worrying about wasting your vote. Instead of feeling like you need to vote for the candidate who has the most money or the best chance of winning, you can vote for the candidates you think will do the best job at representing you.
Ranked-Choice Voting means that every candidate needs to earn support from as many voters as possible. Even if a candidate isn’t one of your first choices, they want to be one of your backup choices. This gives candidates a reason to listen to all voters, not just the ones who already support them.
It can help reduce negative campaigning and encourage cooperation among candidates, helping keep the focus on the issues that impact your community.
Research shows voters who have used ranked choice voting are more satisfied with the outcomes, because they have more say in who is elected. On average, three out of four voters prefer it to the current system.
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In November 2022, 58% of Portland voters said YES to make Portland’s government better. This includes establishing 4 geographic districts with 3 City Councilors each who will be elected using Ranked-Choice Voting for elections. The ballot measure also included significant changes to the City’s form of government, with a Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer.
The ballot measure was developed by a 20-person volunteer commission as part of the City’s charter review process that takes place every decade.
The goal of the new system is to make our city government more effective, accountable, and equitable, and to better represent Portlanders.
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All City of Portland contests will use Ranked-Choice Voting, including the 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, and Sheriff.
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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.
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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 Oregon in Benton County.