Opinion: Portland’s first ranked-choice voting election delivered on its promises

Marcus Mundy, Elona J. Wilson and Tony DeFalco

As county elections officials tally the final results from Portland's historic 2024 election, our city is realizing the promise of groundbreaking inclusive democracy reform. For the first time in more than 100 years, every neighborhood in the city will have representation on the City Council. The Council will be the most diverse - by age, income, gender, race, and geography - in history.

Sadly, a recent Oregonian/OregonLive story, tries to paint a picture of failure before every vote has been counted (" Portland's ranked-choice debut causes voter engagement to crater; 1 in 5 who cast ballots chose no one for City Council ," Nov. 12) While it looks like voter turnout in Portland may be lower than in past presidential elections, voter turnout in many urban counties across the country fell. More important, the citywide undervote rate in City Council races is virtually the same to the rates in both 2016 and 2012, according to an analysis by ranked-choice voting nonprofit FairVote based on Multnomah County elections data.

We joined with other trusted community-based organizations led by Black, Indigenous and people of color to provide Portlanders with information about candidates and voting recommendations. In doing so, we lifted up voices that have been historically excluded from rooms of power, including Portland City Hall.

As we look back on this election, we see success not just in the outcomes but in the process. Dozens of candidates offered to serve our city by running for mayor or City Council in our four new city districts. Tens of thousands of neighbors donated to campaigns that inspired them, amplified through Portland's small donor program. Hundreds of thousands of Portlanders made their voices heard by ranking candidates for City Council.

Portland has achieved an unprecedented victory for voter choice. Every district has elected three City Council members to represent them. These councilors were elected with the support of more than 75% of City Council voters. In parts of the city that have rarely had a single councilor represent their district, there are now three. This has never happened before. Voters overwhelmingly supported the 2022 charter reforms including the district-based system with three councilors and are seeing how our new elections system is far better than the previous system.

Our groups contacted hundreds of thousands of voters through mail, phone and online, and knocked on more than 23,000 voters' doors. When our organizers were going house-to-house in East Portland, many of our neighbors told us that this was the first time anyone had knocked on their door. Ever. Many also told us they weren't planning on voting in city council races, which would explain why that district's voting rate was lower – as it has always been – than the rest of the city. While the headline of The Oregonian story claims this was directly caused by the new method of voting, there's no proof of that and it's irresponsible to imply otherwise. What we do know is that voters are skeptical about the value of voting, and they shared sentiments like "politicians have never cared about people like me." The Oregonian's reporting is more of the same kind of disenfranchisement that East Portlanders have experienced for generations - people making assumptions without the full story, yet insisting on telling someone else's story.

With this election, Portland has emerged on the forefront of ensuring everyone has the freedom to vote for who best represents them. Our organizations and communities are committed to continuing to fight to expand access to democracy. Portland is well on its way to a more accountable, effective and representative government for us all.