Most Measure 117 $$ is out-of-state. Oregon is a lab rat

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

Willamette Week reports that most of the seven million dollars raised to pass Oregon Ballot Measure 117’s rank choice voting scheme has come from out-of-state.  One out-of-state group alone donated $2.5 million to the campaign, making it the largest donation of anyone during the entire November Election cycle of any ballot measure or candidate campaign.

Oregon Ballot Measure 117’s Rank Choice Voting is bad because:

– Rank Choice Voting increases voter confusion
– Rank Choice Voting decreases voter turn-out
– Rank Choice Voting increases election costs
– Rank Choice Voting delays election
– Rank Choice Voting results in eliminated votes (exhausted ballots)
– Rank Choice Voting has a flaw that allows people to have disproportionate voting power

The Oregonian said of Oregon ballot measure 117;

• “County clerks have shared their concerns about the complexity and cost of making such a switch. And voters have yet to see how well Multnomah County is implementing its own conversion to ranked-choice voting for local races. With the first election under that system taking place this November, Oregonians should hold off for now on adopting such a change statewide, and vote “no”…”“The Oregon Association of County Clerks, which represents elections officials across the state, has noted the daunting implementation challenges, especially considering elections offices’ lack of staff and resources. Despite requests to be involved in planning a workable approach to ranked-choice voting, the association testified last year that it was not included in development of the ranked-choice referral bill. The association in March 2023 worried that the measure, driven by advocates, “is setting clerks up to fail in an already hostile environment and would further erode the confidence and transparency in Oregon elections.”

The Wall Street Journal said of Rank Choice Voting:

“No election system is perfect, but Americans being lobbied to adopt a new one might want to look at the potential downsides. On Nov. 5, five states and Washington, D.C., will have ballot referendums to implement some version of ranked-choice voting, or RCV. There’s reason to be skeptical that such reforms would work as promised.”

Oregon Legislators making you vote on Oregon ballot Measure 117 exempted themselves. Why don’t they want the rules to apply to them? As written, Ranked Choice Voting Measure 117 would only apply to federal elections (President, Congress) and statewide offices (Governor, Secretary of State, etc.).

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