On this page
- What is Ranked Choice Voting?
- When and Why We Use Ranked Choice Voting
- How to Fill Out Your Ranked Choice Ballot
- Practice RCV with a Mock Election
- How Votes are Counted with RCV
- Request an RCV Presentation
- FAQs, Educational Materials, and City of Portland Resources
- RCV Election Results and Reports
Translate this page
Español • Tiếng Việt • русский • 中文 • Soomaali • українська
What is Ranked Choice Voting?
Ranked choice voting allows voters to rank up to 6 candidates in order of preference instead of choosing only one candidate.
In the November 3, 2026 General Election, the following contests will use ranked choice voting:
- Multnomah County Chair, Auditor, Sheriff and District 2 Commissioner.
- Portland City Auditor and City Councilors for Districts 3 and 4.
Watch this video to learn more
Learn how to fill out a ranked choice ballot
Learn how ranked choice voting contests are counted
Practice filling out a ranked choice ballot
When and Why We Use Ranked Choice Voting
In November 2022, Portland and Multnomah County voters approved ballot measures to require the use of ranked choice voting (RCV) for all City of Portland and Multnomah County candidate contests.
With ranked choice voting, there will no longer be Primary elections for Multnomah County or City of Portland candidates. All Multnomah County and City of Portland candidate contests will be on the General Election ballot in November.
- Multnomah County voters use RCV to elect the County Chair, County Commissioners, the Auditor, and Sheriff.
- City of Portland voters use RCV to elect the Mayor, Auditor, and City Councilors. Learn more about Portland’s use of ranked choice voting
How to Fill Out Your Ranked Choice Ballot
With ranked choice voting, you can rank up to six candidates in order of preference instead of choosing just one. Follow these steps to ensure you fill out your ballot correctly:
- Fill one oval in the Rank 1 column for your 1st choice candidate.
- If you have a candidate that you like 2nd best, fill in one oval in the Rank 2 column for that candidate.
- If you have a candidate that you like 3rd best, fill in one oval in the Rank 3 column for that candidate.
- You can rank up to six candidates. You can still vote for only one candidate if you prefer; however, ranking other candidates does not harm your 1st choice.
After you have completed your ballot, remember to check for mistakes and make sure you fill in no more than one oval per column and no more than one oval per row. If you do make a mistake on your ballot, you can correct it yourself by drawing an ‘X’ over any oval that you do not want counted.
Learn more about filling out a ranked choice ballot
Practice RCV with a Mock Election
Give ranked choice voting a try with a contest to choose the best natural area in Multnomah County. Will it be Multnomah Falls? Forest Park? Thousand Acres? You have eight options to choose from and the choice is up to you!
You can rank up to 6 county natural areas in order of preference. You can choose to vote for only one choice if you prefer, but ranking more options does not harm your 1st choice.
How Votes are Counted with RCV
To begin, only voters’ 1st choices are counted. If no candidate receives enough votes to be elected, candidates with the fewest votes are defeated and votes are transferred to their supporters’ next highest ranked choices. This process continues until a candidate gains enough votes to be elected.
Tabulation varies slightly between single-winner RCV (used for Portland Mayor and Auditor and all Multnomah County Elected Officials) and multi-winner RCV (used only for Portland City Council).
Learn more about how ranked choice votes are counted
Request an RCV Presentation
The Elections Division has developed several workshops and lessons to teach voters about ranked choice voting, with in-person and virtual options available in English or Spanish. Presentations will be offered to groups across Multnomah County in August-October 2026.
FAQs, Educational Materials, and City of Portland Resources
RCV Election Results and Reports
RCV Election Results
Multnomah County Elections Division is the sole source of results for all Multnomah County and City of Portland candidate contests.
View all ranked choice voting election results
RCV Reports
Summary of the preparation, outcomes, and evaluation of the implementation of ranked choice voting for City of Portland candidate contests.
Detailed report on turnout, overvotes, undervotes, and usage of rankings for each RCV contest in the November 2024 General Election.