georgechungmicheallatner_presentation_9232021

Electoral Methods and Form of Government in in Portland George Cheung Director, More Equitable Democracy heather@equitabledemocracy.org Michael Latner Professor, Cal Poly State University MLatner@ucsusa.org Overview Electoral Methods a Terms b Historical background c Options for Charter Review Commission Forms of Government a Common structures b Purpose and power Q&A Terms and Concepts ● Ballot styles: Pick one, RCV, STAR, approval, etc ● Electoral system ○ Winner-take-all ■ E.g plurality or first-past-the-post ○ Proportional representation ■ E.g party list or single-transferable vote ● Election timing Major Events in Electoral Methods Reform 1430: English Parliament codifies “winner-take-all” elections 1840: Adelaide is first government to use STV, a form of PR 1870: Illinois adopts cumulative voting for lower house 1908: Oregon adopts Measure 15, allowing for alternative systems 1936: NYC adopts STV for city council 1940’s: Coos Bay briefly adopts STV for city elections 1965: Federal Voting Rights Act passes 1984: Gingles decision creates pathways for “majority-minority” districts Winner-Take-All + At-Large Elections: City of Portland (Status Quo) Pros ● No redistricting ● Avoids parochialism ● Easy to administer Cons ● A majority can sweep all seats ● Winners can all live in same neighborhood ● Expensive campaigns Winner-Take-All + Single-Member Districts: City of Portland Pros ● Guaranteed geographic representation ● Less expensive campaigns ● Easy to understand Cons ● Requires redistricting ● Geography outweighs all other communities of interest ● Communities of color will be underrepresented Concentration of People of Color in Portland, OR Source: American Community Survey, 2015 - 2019 Potential 5District Map Portland, OR Source: American Community Survey, 2015 - 2019 Potential 7District Map Portland, OR Source: American Community Survey, 2015 - 2019 Potential 9District Map Portland, OR Source: American Community Survey, 2015 - 2019 Proportional Representation + At-Large Elections: City of Portland Pros ● Provides communities of color with most representation ● No redistricting ● Allows for multiple voting coalitions (e.g renters, students) Cons ● Administration & voter education concerns ● Geographic representation is not guaranteed Proportional Representation + Multi-Member Districts: City of Portland Pros ● Provides communities of color with some representation ● Guarantees some geographic representation ● Allows some voting coalitions Cons ● Administration & voter education concerns ● Requires redistricting City of Portland Comparing Results Portland Electoral Methods Decision Tree None No Is geographic representation a top priority? Winner-take-all + at-large seats (status quo) How much representation should a “minority” have? Yes Winner-take-all + single-member districts Equitable share No PR with at-large seats Is geographic representation a top priority? Yes PR with multimember districts Forms of Government: City of Portland + 45 councilors elected at-large FLPR + Seven Alderpersons Q&A