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Tom Monto

Portland (Oregon) got STV! Hooray!

Great news about Portland getting STV. its first city STV election is to be in Nov. 2024.

But I am less pleased with how it is presented as per city website linked below

in one section it talks about ranked choice voting

in other section it talks about geographic districts

I know wards are new to Portland but still as far as voting goes, the fact there are districts is not as important as the fact that the wards are to have 3 members each.

them being multi-member districts and transferable voting being used means the city has STV or multi-winner ranked voting if you prefer.

under geographic districts the website says

"After geographic districts are established, each Portland voter can help elect three city councilors to represent their part of the city. City Council members will serve terms of four years. This change is closely connected with Portland’s transition to ranked-choice voting." But each voter will have only one vote so at most will help elect only one of the three councillors in the district!

also it says that currently (in the recent past) "Currently, all four of Portland’s city commissioners are elected “at-large” across the city, meaning a candidate for any seat can live anywhere in Portland. Under the new system, voters will select three candidates from each of four districts, expanding the city council to 12 people."


I am not sure that the new law would insist that a candidate must live in the ward in which he or she runs. That kind of law is seldom the case.

better to say under the new system, a candidate will run only in one ward/one part of the city - and will be representing that ward after election if elected.


Each voter will vote for his or her choice among the candidates running in the ward. Three members will be elected for each ward, but each voter will help elect only one.


and of course the term ranked voting is not clear.

single-winner ranked voting is a thing.

systems where all the preferences are grouped together perhaps weighed differently or not also exist.


better to say, electing city councillors proportionally through multi-winner ranked voting (or Single Transferable Voting (STV), to use technical term)

instead of

"electing city councillors proportionally, through ranked choice voting"


instead of saying

"Changes include ranked-choice voting, expanded city council with geographic districts, and a mayor and city administrator to oversee day-to-day operations."

saying

Changes include expanded city council with multi-member geographic districts and multi-winner ranked-choice voting, and a mayor and city administrator elected through single-winner ranked choice voting to oversee day-to-day operations.


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