Our Community Education Panel on Sept. 11 is Open to the Public
LWV of Portland’s next Community Education program, “Ranked-Choice Voting: Moving Portland Forward with Confidence,” will be held on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, from 7 to 8:30 pm via Zoom.
This November, Portlanders will experience a new voting method when the city introduces ranked-choice voting (RCV) to elect its top elected officials. Although RCV is not new — 43 other American cities, two states and, three counties now use it — its unfamiliarity to local voters has raised a number of questions and concerns. Are the voters and the election system prepared for this major change? Can I trust the outcome? What has happened in other cities that have instituted RCV? What will it mean for the future direction of our city?
Join Us!
To receive the Zoom link, members of the public should register using this link:
Our Speakers
This webinar will feature local and national voting experts who will address those and other questions. It will offer viewers a deeper understanding of the new voting system and what they can expect, so that they can cast their ballots with confidence.
Our speakers bring both national perspectives and deep familiarity with the local election process:
- Grace Ramsey, Co-Founder & Co-Director of Democracy Rising
- Grace brings over 10 years of experience working on voter education campaigns across the country. She has worked on campaigns to adopt or implement ranked choice voting in Alaska, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Oakland, Duluth, Maine, Santa Fe, Memphis, Las Cruces, New York City, Eastpointe, Albany, Palm Desert, Yakima, and more cities across the country. She is currently working with the City of Portland Transition Team to support ranked-choice voting education through community organizations.
- Sean Dugar, Founder & President of CORE (Collective of Organizers for Reformed Elections) and CEO of Democratic Solutions
- Sean is an organizer, advocate, and champion of democracy. He has worked for and consulted with organizations like the NAACP, FairVote, Common Cause and numerous issue and candidate campaigns. In 2021, with Rank the Vote NYC, Sean led an outreach and organizing campaign that reached 1.5 million New Yorkers, mobilized a coalition of over 750 organizations, conducted 600-plus educational events, trained 450 candidates and campaigns, and knocked on 55,000 doors.
- Kali Odell, Elections District & Candidate Specialist, Multnomah County Elections Division
- Kali is a program specialist with Multnomah County Elections. She specializes in working with local jurisdictions, voters, and candidates seeking access to be on Multnomah County ballots. She is a part of the team that is working towards the smooth and effective administration of ranked choice voting elections for the City of Portland in November 2024.
- Tiffany Montemayor, Senior Director of Programming & Outreach, Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center
- Tiffany became an elections administrator in 2020 as the Public Relations Manager for the State of Alaska Division of Elections. She was responsible for the public education campaign of Alaska’s nonpartisan, top-four primary and RCV general elections during the state’s successful implementation of the two new systems. Tiffany began her career in communications while earning her B.S. in Political Science from Texas Tech University and was the Communication and Development Director of a nonprofit prior to entering the elections world. Tiffany began working for the Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center in September 2023 and, as the Senior Director of Programming and Outreach, is responsible for overseeing the development and publication of programming content.
- Melanie Billings-Yun, League of Women Voters of Portland, Panel Moderator
- Melanie was co-chair of the Portland Charter Commission, which crafted city government reforms, including ranked choice voting, that were passed by voters in 2022. A retired professor, Melanie has taught at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Georgetown University School of Public Affairs, and Portland State School of Business specializing in international negotiation and cross-cultural collaboration. She leads the League’s Ranked Choice Voting team.
Our Programs Are For the Community
Attendees can engage with panelists by asking questions in the Zoom chat.
This program is one of our community education programs held free of charge for our members and the public. All of our programs are recorded for rebroadcast by MetroEast Community Media and available by video and podcast from our website.
Funding for production of this program is provided by the League of Women Voters of Portland Education Fund and the Carol and Velma Saling Foundation. Donate to support programming like this webinar.
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Join us through the 2024 election season to learn and get engaged. Learn about our full series for this historic Election 2024.
