Measure 117 (rank-voting) opposed by Oregonian

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

The Oregonian Editorial Board is recommending a NO vote on Measure 117 the lab-rat style experiment of rank choice voting where voters rank multiple candidates.  Because the public is still confused about the rank-choice voting concept, this Oregonian editorial may be the thing that makes the difference.

The Taxpayers Association of Oregon has submitted three Statewide Voter Pamphlet arguments against Measure 117.

Here are three pull-quotes from the Oregonian Editorial:

• “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.”

• “before authorizing an expansion, voters should know how ranked choice affected voter turnout; the number of ballots excluded due to mistakes or because voters did not choose any surviving candidates; any difficulties in counting; the time for reporting results and other central aspects of such a change. “

The Taxpayers Association of Oregon created this cartoon graphic explaining how confusing rank-choice voting has become:

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