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Tom Monto

In U.S. Two Portlands vote for STV. Later developments -Portland, Oregon to use STV; Portland, Maine not so much

Updated: Nov 25

The cities of Portland (Oregon) and Portland (Maine) have voted to introduce the Single Transferable Vote (or as the Americans call it, Proportional RCV).


The Single Transferable Vote (STV) is a proportional voting system that aims to produce a city council that reflects the way the electorate voted.


STV is used in the United Kingdom to elect Scottish and Northern Irish local councils, as well as the Northern Ireland Assembly. It is also used in many cities in New Zealand.

It is used in national level elections in the Republic of Ireland and Malta and to elect the Senate in Australia and to elect assemblies in the state (provincial ) governments in Australia.


In the U.S. it is used to elect city councils or other municipal bodies in:

Cambridge Massachusetts

Albany, California

Palm Desert, California


Minneapolis -- STV is currently being used to elect the Park Board and Board of Estimate and Taxation


Arden, Delaware -- the board of assessors


to be used in next elections:

Portland, Oregon


Amherst, Massachusetts

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Portland, Maine -- see below for how that city is still not using STV, as of 2024.


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2024: Portland Maine - slow to get STV


Two years afre the 2022 referendum that saw majority vote for STV, that city is using Instant-Runoff Voting, not STV, in its elections.


Portland Question 4 was on the ballot as a referral in Portland on November 8, 2022. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported authorizing the city to use a proportional ranked choice voting method for elections in which more than one person is to be elected to a single office (i.e. a multiple seat election) and directs the city council to enact an ordinance to establish the proportional ranked choice voting method

Election results




Portland Question 4

Result

Votes

Percentage


Yes

20,435

63.59%


No

11,702

36.41%


The "proportional ranked choice voting method" referred to in the referendum is STV.


Apparently, the 2022 referendum result was over-ruled or simply mis-understood.


Oddly enough, Portland, Maine has three at-large members so already uses a multi-member district. just each of the three are elected in a different year (staggered terms) so there is no "multiple-seat election" as specified in the referendum.


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see Montopedia blog "2024 Portland city election -- STV works!"

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