Multnomah County
Referred to the People by the Board of County Commissioners as Recommended by the Multnomah County Charter Review Committee.
Measure No. 26-57
BALLOT TITLE
CAPTION: Majority Vote Required To Elect Multnomah County Officers
QUESTION: Shall all County elected officials be required to receive a majority of the votes cast?
SUMMARY: The measure amends the Charter. It resolves an inconsistency in the current Charter which requires fewer votes to be elected to a full term board position than the majority vote required for other officers, or for board members for a partial term. The measure repeals the inconsistent provision. The result is that in all elections for County officers, a majority of the votes cast are required for election. The measure takes effect on November 3, 2004.
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
The county Charter has inconsistent provisions for election to board positions. One provision requires that for election to a board position, the candidate with the highest number of votes is elected. Another provision requires that for election to all county offices, the candidate with a majority of votes cast at the election is elected. Another provision requires that in an election to fill a county officer vacancy, a majority vote is required.
The measure amends the Charter. It repeals the provision allowing election to a board position to require only the highest number of votes. With this repeal, the remaining provisions require that all elections to county offices, both those on the board and others, require a majority vote. If a candidate does not receive a majority of the votes cast at the primary election, the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall run against each other at the general election.
The Charter Review Committee recommends this measure.
The measure will take effect November 3, 2004
Submitted by:
Multnomah Co. Charter Review Committee
No arguments FOR or AGAINST this measure were filed