On Tuesday, two states, two counties, and twelve cities used ranked choice voting (RCV) in their elections. From the nation’s capital to the Last Frontier, more than four million people had the opportunity to rank candidates, in races from governor and senator to mayor and city council. FairVote is covering the races in Alaska, Maine, and Washington, DC in separate posts; here, we focus on results from key local elections. 

In places like Multnomah County and Portland, OR; Boulder, CO; and the California Bay Area, ranked choice voting ensured that more voters’ voices were heard. According to our initial analysis, at least 70,000 voters had a more meaningful vote in local contests because of RCV; these voters ranked a lower-performing candidate first on their ballots, but still had their vote count for a backup choice with a chance to win. 

Campaigns were notably collaborative, with several candidates exchanging kind words and even cross-endorsing each other – urging voters to rank a rival second or third. Notably, most cities released round-by-round RCV results on election night – a best practice and a reminder that it’s possible to produce accurate RCV results on the same timeline as choose-one elections.

Multnomah County, OR

Multnomah County – which overlaps with Portland and is the most populous county in Oregon – used RCV for the first time to elect its Commission chair and District 2 commissioner. 

Shannon Singleton is leading in the county chair race. The results currently show Singleton winning in the RCV count with 56.3% of votes, beating two other candidates. Singleton has 47% of first choices. When third-place finisher Sharon Meieran is eliminated, 34,682 of her voters have their vote count for their next choice between Singleton or second-place finisher Julia Brim-Edwards. In other words, roughly 35,000 more voters have a say between the top two candidates because of RCV.

Bri Williams currently leads in the seven-candidate race for District 2, in a likely “come-from-behind” victory. Serena Cruz leads in first choices, and holds her lead until the fifth round of the RCV tally, when third-place finisher Nathan Ong Norris is eliminated. Ong Noriss’s supporters heavily favor Williams over Cruz as a backup choice, helping Williams cross the majority threshold.

While “come-from-behind” victories are rare, they are a feature of RCV, not a bug. Williams and Ong Norris shared endorsements from groups like the Working Families Party and Basic Rights Oregon’s PAC – suggesting their combined coalition was larger than Cruz’s, but was split between the two candidates. RCV helped that coalition consolidate behind its strongest candidate. In addition, at least 18,408 voters who voted for an eliminated candidate had a say between Williams and Cruz because of RCV.

Portland, OR

Oregon’s most populous city – Portland – used RCV for the second time to pick City Council members. Voters in Council Districts 3 and 4 each elected three members this year, using the multi-winner, proportional form of RCV. In these races, candidates each need just above 25% of the vote to win a seat. 

In District 3, incumbents Steve Novick, Tiffany Koyama Lane, and Angelita Morillo look poised to win. As the results currently stand, Novick clears the threshold with 28.8% of first choices, while Koyama Lane and Morillo trail with 23.7% and 23.6% respectively. From there, candidates in the 21-person field are eliminated one at a time, and their supporters’ votes transfer to their next choices.

In District 4, incumbents Olivia Clark, Eric Zimmerman, and Mitch Green also appear headed toward re-election. As the results currently stand, Clark clears the threshold with 31% of first choices, while Zimmerman and Green trail with 23.7% and 19.8%. In both races, at least 75% of voters elected a candidate of their choice. 

Boulder, CO

Incumbent Aaron Brockett has won another term as Boulder’s mayor, defeating five challengers in an RCV election. Brockett also won Boulder’s first RCV race in 2023, when the city began electing its mayor directly. 

According to the latest results, Brocket has 48.6% of first choices – slightly short of the majority needed to win outright. In the RCV tally, Brockett crosses the 50% mark in the third round of counting – comfortably ahead of second-place finisher Aquiles La Grave, who has 27% of votes. 1,158 more voters had their voices heard because of RCV; these voters’ first choice was eliminated, and they still had their vote count for one of the finalists. 

California Bay Area cities

Several Bay Area cities used RCV on Tuesday. They include San Francisco, where preliminary results show two Board of Supervisors races going to RCV tallies. In District 8, Gary McCoy leads with 49.9% of first choices, just short of a majority. When the third-place finisher is eliminated, McCoy wins with 56.8%. In District 10, Theo Ellington is winning 48.7% of first choices, and consolidates his lead with RCV. 

In Berkeley, preliminary results show the race for City Council District 1 requiring an RCV tally. Laura Babitt leads, with her support growing from 26.8% of voters’ first choices to 52.0% in the RCV count.

Albany also conducted preliminary RCV tallies in the two-winner race for At-Large City Council, and the four-winner race for the Board of Education. Both races used the proportional form of RCV.

RCV results were released quickly in cities

RCV results can be counted and released just as quickly as results in non-RCV elections, and this week they were. Portland and Multnomah County, OR, released initial results – including RCV tallies – less than 15 minutes after polls closed. Boulder, CO and San Francisco did the same less than half an hour after the polls closed in their respective states. 

This is consistent with previous RCV elections; 79% of jurisdictions using RCV release results in less than 24 hours.

Key takeaways: More votes count with RCV

Looking at this week’s local RCV elections, a few trends stand out: voters had plenty of choices, and a greater voice in the decision between them. 

According to preliminary results, at least 70,000 voters across local contests were able to have their vote count more meaningfully toward the result because of RCV. These voters were empowered to vote for their true favorite candidates – and when those candidates couldn’t win, they could help a backup choice instead.

Compare this to results in cities across Orange County, California – where several council races were won with less than 50% of the vote, and thousands of votes were effectively “wasted” on candidates who couldn’t win. Or to Los Angeles, where voters’ choices were narrowed to two back in June; or Austin, TX, where several local races will be decided in expensive, low-turnout runoffs over a month from now. 

Cities like Boulder and Portland are showing there is a better way to run elections, and their experience has helped build momentum for others to follow. Ballot measures to bring RCV to Irvine, CA, and Longmont, CO, are currently leaMultnomah County, OR Chairding.

See this post for a full list of jurisdictions that used RCV this week. FairVote will continue to report on the results of RCV elections as more detailed election data becomes available.