| Ktvz News Sources | KTVZ |
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Legislature on Sunday’s final day of the session passed House Bill 2004, which puts a proposal to move to ranked choice voting for federal and statewide races on the statewide ballot in November 2024.
Cities and states across the country have been rapidly adopting ranked choice voting via citizen-driven ballot measures, but Oregon’s legislature is the first in the nation to proactively move this popular reform forward, according to the supporting organization, Oregon Ranked Choice Voting.
”Give voters more options to elect their true favorites
“We are overjoyed that our state lawmakers passed HB 2004 to provide the opportunity for Oregonians to make a meaningful choice about the future of their democracy,” said Sol Mora, HB 2004 Coalition Leader, and Advocacy Director at the Coalition of Communities of Color.
“We know that Oregon voters are frustrated. Ranked choice voting is a simple improvement that will help focus campaigns on the issues and give voters more options to elect their true favorites. Candidates will also benefit from ranked choice voting by being able to run without fear of splitting the vote, which will help more youth, people of color, working-class people, and candidates from rural communities get elected.”
If approved by voters in the 2024 election, HB 2004 will: establish ranked choice voting for statewide and federal offices in both primary and general elections; establish a “local option” for cities and counties choosing to adopt ranked choice voting; provide local jurisdictions with tools and resources to ensure standardized implementation of ranked choice elections; and create a statewide education campaign to ensure voters across all demographics understand how to use ranked choice ballots.
After being approved by the Oregon House last month, HB 2004 on Sunday passed the Oregon Senate 17-8 and now heads directly to the November 2024 ballot.
