Tag: Empowering Voters

It’s Time to Get Ready to Vote

Most voters’ ballots arrived in the mail by May 4. Election Day is May 16.

Your vote matters. We have election resources to help you get ready to vote.

This Special District Election is about local measures and candidates. The results will affect local government policies, services for our communities, and taxes to support those services.

Check out our May 2023 Special Election webpage which connects to written explanations of the three Multnomah County  ballot measures. In addition, you’ll find links to candidates’ answers to questions, videos of Voter Forums and candidate interviews for the major races, and podcasts of those forums and interviews.

The measures would: create a new tenant resources program funded by a capital gains tax; finance expanded public safety programs for Gresham with a new tax levy; and renew the Portland Children’s Levy. Also:

    • You can watch or listen to a forum on Multnomah County Measure 26-238. This would create a 0.75% capital gains tax to pay for legal services for tenants facing eviction. Pro and Con speakers present their arguments for and against this measure.
    • Voters throughout Multnomah County will be voting on the candidates running for all the positions on their local school and community college boards. We have recordings of interviews with some of these candidates. There is also a forum in which the candidates for the Portland Public Schools Board from Zone 3 answer questions. One of these candidates, Derrick Peterson, has since withdrawn from this race.
    • We also have a forum for voters in Southeast Portland , who will be electing a new Multnomah County Commissioner for District 3. This seat formerly was held by Jessica Vega-Pederson, who is now the County Chair.

All the candidates running in Multnomah County were offered free opportunities to answer questions for VOTE411.org and to participate in short recorded interviews. They have until Election Day to enter their answers on VOTE411.org. We have posted the recordings of the interviews.

League of Women Voters of Portland Endorses 2022 Charter Amendment

Portland City Hall by M.O. Stevens – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10470949
It is time to make Portland’s government more responsive, representative and effective.

At its June 29 meeting, the LWVPDX board voted to endorse the Portland Charter Commission’s proposed amendments to the City Charter. After in-depth studies of Portland’s government and of alternative voting methods,  LWVPDX concluded that the proposed amendments will substantially improve our city government. The amendments will be included in a ballot measure for the November 8, 2022, General Election.

The main charter reform proposals are to:
    • Elect candidates using ranked choice voting.
    • Increase the size of the  City Council to 12 members, electing three members each from four new geographic districts.
    • Establish City Council as a legislative body, without its current administrative responsibilities.  
    • Elect the Mayor citywide to run day-to-day operations along with a professional City Administrator.
Why approve these changes?
    • Proportional ranked choice voting can allow voters to elect a more representative council.  A significant majority of voters will be able to elect city councilors who represent their interests and concerns.
    • District elections with proportional ranked choice voting give Portlanders the power to elect a City Council that reflects the population they serve.
    • A larger City Council will be more responsive to our growing city population. Our population is more than 3 times larger than it was when the current 4-member council (plus the mayor) was established.
    • A legislative city council without administrative responsibilities can devote more time to setting policies and responding to constituent concerns.
    • Delegating the administrative duties to the Mayor and a professional City Administrator provides more effective management of bureaus.
    • Separating the legislative and administrative functions of government allows more accountability. The public knows who is responsible for policy-making, appropriations, and spending.

Learn more about the Charter Commission and LWVPDX’s advocacy with the Commission here. In the next few months, look for more information about how these changes would benefit Portland.

LWV and Advocacy

As a non-profit organization, LWVPDX balances advocacy and voter information.  LWVPDX’s advocacy arm can endorse a campaign or advocate on an issue.  LWVPDX’s voter services provide balanced, objective informational resources about all sides of a campaign. Across all its work, LWV is nonpartisan and will never support or oppose a candidate or party.

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