In a little over a week, Portlanders will elect more than a dozen people to lead the city into a new civic era. On top of ushering in an expanded City Hall staff, the general election will mark Portland’s first experience with ranked-choice voting.
Whether you’ve already cast your ballot or have yet to drop it in the mail or ballot box, we’re here to share a short-and-sweet summary of the biggest changes coming to Portland’s government.
City Council
Nearly 100 candidates are vying for 12 seats on Portland City Council. The city is divided into four districts with each district producing three winners. Voters will rank their district’s candidates in order of preference, choosing up to six from a field of 16-30 choices. If a candidate gets 25% plus one vote, they win. Excess votes are transferred.
When the newly elected City Council members clock in on Jan. 1, they’ll officially be councilors, not commissioners. This means they won’t be in charge of city departments or bureaus, as was the case under the outgoing system, and will instead form a legislative body tasked with setting city policies and connecting with residents within the district they serve.
Mayor
Ranked choice voting is also in play for the mayoral race, but the winner needs 50% plus one vote. Portlanders again have the choice to rank their top six candidates (19 are on the ballot) in order of preference.
The new mayor will no longer be part of the City Council and will only vote on policies when a tie-breaker is needed. They will be able to introduce new legislation, as well as hire (and fire) the city administrator, police chief, and city attorney — all with the City Council’s approval. Portland’s new mayor will also draft the yearly budget + deliver the annual State of the City address.
City administrator
Commissioners are currently in charge of the city’s day-to-day operations, but those duties will fall to the city administrator starting Jan. 1. This new role will, with the support of deputies who oversee groups of city bureaus, work to carry out the goals + priorities set by the mayor and councilors. Think of the city administrator as “the boss” to most of the people on the city of Portland’s payroll.
Portland voters can track election results starting at 8 p.m. on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 5. The results will be certified on Monday, Dec. 2.
