NOTICE OF BALLOT TITLE AND EXPLANATORY STATEMENT – MultCoInit-06
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a ballot title and explanatory statement for a Multnomah County Initiative Petition has been filed with the Multnomah County Director of Elections. The initiative petition complies with constitutional requirements. Any registered voter in Multnomah County dissatisfied with the ballot title and explanatory statement may file a petition with the Multnomah County Circuit Court for review on or before 5:00 PM, December 21, 2017. Any person filing a challenge must also file a copy of the challenge with the Director of Elections, 1040 SE Morrison St., Portland, by the end of the next business day after the petition is filed with the Circuit Court.
Caption: Amends charter: county officer primary election eliminated; scored officer elections
Question: Should charter be amended for county officers eliminating primary election, requiring general election using “Score Then Automatic Runoff” (“STAR”) voting?
Summary: Under current Charter, candidates for county offices appear on the primary election ballot. If a candidate receives a majority of votes, that candidate is elected. Otherwise, the two candidates with the most votes appear on the general election ballot. The amendment eliminates primary elections for county officers, instead requiring “Score Then Automatic Runoff” (“STAR”) voting at the November general election, where voters score each candidate on a zero (lowest) to five (highest) scale. Ballots would explain vote tallying: (1) determine which two candidates received the greatest sum total of scores for a position; (2) for those two candidates, determine in whose favor each ballot was cast (automatic runoff). A ballot is cast in favor of the candidate the elector gave the greater score; if an elector gave the candidates the same score, the ballot benefits neither candidate. The candidate in whose favor the greatest number of ballots were cast in the automatic runoff is elected, and deemed to receive a majority of votes when filling vacancies. The amendment includes Board authority to establish rules for voting administration.
Explanatory Statement
Under the current Charter, all candidates for county elective offices (Chair of the Board, Commissioners, Auditor, and Sheriff) appear on the primary election ballot, and if a candidate receives a majority of votes cast for a position, that candidate is elected. If no candidate receives a majority of votes cast for the position, the two candidates who received the highest number of votes appear on the general election ballot.
The amendment would eliminate the primary election for county elective offices. County officers would instead be elected at the November general election using “Score Then Automatic Runoff” (“STAR”) voting. Under that system, all candidates for an office appear on the ballot, and voters score each candidate on a zero (lowest) to five (highest) scale. The system uses scoring, rather than ranking, which means a voter can give the same score to more than one candidate for the same office. If an elector leaves a candidate’s score blank, the elector’s score for that candidate will be zero.
The method for tallying votes would be explained on the ballot. Votes would be tallied as follows: (1) for each office on the ballot, determine which two candidates received the greatest sum total of scores for the position; (2) for those two candidates, determine in whose favor each ballot was cast (automatic runoff). For purposes of the automatic runoff, an elector’s ballot is considered cast in favor of the candidate the elector gave the greater score; if an elector gave the two candidates the same score, the ballot is not considered in favor of either candidate. As between the final two candidates, the candidate in whose favor the greatest number of ballots were cast as determined by the automatic runoff vote tally is elected, and deemed the candidate receiving a majority of votes cast when filling vacancies under Section 4.50 of the Charter. Under that Section, a vacancy is filled by election only if the term of office expires one year or more after the vacancy occurs.
The amendment requires the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, by ordinance, to establish rules for the orderly administration of the new “STAR” (“Score Then Automatic Runoff”) voting system, and requires the Board to prescribe how a tie-vote will be resolved at any stage of the “STAR” (“Score Then Automatic Runoff”) vote tally. Current Charter Section 11.20 requires tie votes for candidates for county elective office to be resolved through public drawing of lots in a manner prescribed by the Board. The amendment does not change that provision.
Tim Scott, Multnomah County Director of Elections
