New polling shows most Portlanders prefer ranked choice
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Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
A new poll shows most voters in Portland preferred ranked-choice voting to the city's previous election method.
Why it matters: Previous polling showed the new system was widely understood by most voters, but this survey is the first to gauge the electorate's preference as voters made decisions on who would take power under the city's new form of government.
Zoom in: The poll, provided exclusively to Axios Portland, was commissioned by the Coalition of Communities of Color and conducted by FM3 Research. It surveyed 620 voters between Nov. 6-10 and had a margin of error of 4%.
- Pollsters found that 63% of voters surveyed preferred ranked choice to the prior voting system for the mayor's race and 59% preferred it for city council.
- Nearly 90% of voters were either somewhat or very confident in knowing how to fill out their ballots.
- Voters also agreed that "electing council members by district, rather than citywide, will better represent my part of the city" by a margin of 84% to 9%.
Context: The results largely align with voter sentiments expressed in polling by the Portland city auditor, which found that ranked-choice voting was widely known and well understood.
- Jenny Lee, deputy director of the Coalition of Communities of Color, said the number of people who preferred the new system exceeded the number who voted to implement it.
- "We hope folks who may have even not supported it initially found the experience to work for them and that they were able to use their voice," Lee told Axios.
Yes, but: Pollsters also found that there were some growing pains as Portland incorporated not just a new form of city government, but also a new voting system.
- 70% of voters said they felt overwhelmed by the number of candidates running.
- 74% said they wished they had more information about city council candidates, and 61% said the same for the mayor's race.
What they're saying: Lee said she expects the number of candidates to "level off" as the novelty of the new system wears off and candidates begin to run as incumbents.
- Paul Manson, a political science professor at Portland State University, said the polling allayed some fears he had before the election.
- "We were scared people would throw up their hands and not vote, but that doesn't seem to be the case," he told Axios.
The big picture: Manson said he was encouraged by the number of voters who cast a vote for a candidate who ended up winning.
- "That inspires confidence," he told Axios.
- The next test of that confidence is coming up quickly with Multnomah County slated to use ranked choice in its 2026 elections.