THE DALLES — The Wasco County employee responsible for managing the county’s elections is voicing concerns about a ballot measure this November to instate ranked choice voting (RCV).
Wasco County Clerk Lisa Gambee came before the county board at a regular meeting Oct. 2 to describe potential logistical challenges associated with ranked choice voting as proposed in Ballot Measure 117, and how they might impact future election days should the measure pass.
While Measure 117 leaves certain positions in the current plurality voting system, including the district races and state legislature, if passed, the measure would instate ranked choice voting in the races for governor, secretary of state, attorney general and other non-legislative state and federal level positions.
“Unfortunately, the way the measure is written, it completely turns a lot of our security checks and balances on their head,” Gambee said. “I would not want to be county clerk, even if I was running again, if ranked choice voting passed.”
What is ranked choice voting?
Nearly all counties in Oregon currently use plurality voting, in which voters cast their vote for one candidate, and the candidate with the most votes wins.
In a ranked choice vote, voters select their first, second and third choices, etc., and whichever candidate gets more than 50% of the first-choice vote wins outright. If, however, no candidate gets the majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and voters who chose the eliminated candidate as their first choice have their votes count toward their second-choice candidate.
Supporters argue this system creates more buy-in from voters and forces candidates to focus on issues, instead of mudslinging, in order to appeal to a broader range of voters.
In a press release following the passing of House Bill 2004, which referred Ballot Measure 117 to voters, one of the bill’s sponsors Representative Khanh Pham (D–Outer SE Portland) made the following statement supporting ranked choice voting:
“Oregon voters deserve leaders that align with their values. Our current ‘pick-one’ voting system often pressures voters to cast their ballots strategically, picking a candidate they see as electable rather than the candidate whose vision best aligns with their hopes for their community. RCV is about understanding voters’ actual values and preferences.”
Ranked choice voting could slow process
In her statement to the Wasco County commissioners, Gambee emphasized that her concerns with ranked choice voting are purely about the mechanics of elections, not the politics of elections.
“With a ranked choice voting, you have to have every single ballot in hand before you can begin the tabulation process,” Gambee said, noting that her office continues to receive ballots three weeks after election day. “So now you’re waiting three weeks before you even really start that process.”
In the case of a statewide election, Gambee said waiting for all 36 Oregon counties to receive their ballots would not only take extra time, she said it removes a layer of local transparency.
Gambee used the example of a recount for the Wasco County District Attorney’s race earlier this year, noting that she was able to directly answer questions about the process when questioned.
“I could guarantee physically that every single vote had been cast the way that we said it was cast, and there was no change or variation. And I can do that because I’m the only one that is tabulating those votes and has those ballots in my possession,” she said.
Supporters of ranked choice voting say this system provides more voter satisfaction. The press release following the passage of HB 2004 said, “In jurisdictions like Takoma Park, Maryland; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and the state of Maine, exit polls show that the majority of voters in these areas prefer RCV to their prior system. In cities with RCV, elected leadership better reflects the diversity of the population.”
Statewide organization of clerks opposed
According to Klamath County Clerk Rochelle Long, who chairs the Oregon Association of County Clerks, this statewide body of clerks won’t support or oppose Measure 117, but a smaller group of clerks organized as the Concerned Election Officials PAC are voicing their concerns. Gambee is one of 17 clerks in this PAC.
However, Long told Columbia Gorge News in an email that the OACC conducted a financial estimate for ranked choice voting when the measure was making its way through the legislature as House Bill 2004.
On March 15, 2023, the OACC submitted a written testimony to the legislature opposing ranked choice voting.
“We are concerned that this reform is setting clerks up to fail in an already hostile environment and would further erode the confidence and transparency in Oregon elections,” said the letter written by OACC council Rob Bovett.
The OACC estimated that the most expensive cost in changing to ranked choice voting would be voter education.
“Please keep in mind that the state and counties are already under resourced and understaffed,” the OACC said in a financial estimate statement submitted to the state legislature on Aug. 7. “Adding Rank Choice Voting will require additional staff.”
Gambee added that cities and states do not pay for elections, but districts.
“It’s the counties that bear the brunt of this,” she said.
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