If you’ve been following the Coalition of Communities of Color’s work in Portland, you may know that we have a once-in-a-decade opportunity to create a more representative democracy and responsive government this November. Now is the time to get involved! Read on to learn more about these important proposals.
Celebrating a Milestone in the Charter Review Process
On March 31, the Portland Charter Commission reached a milestone in their process, by unanimously advancing a proposal to reform Portland’s elections and government structure.
All twenty Charter Commission members voted to recommend three major changes:
Allowing voters to rank candidates in their order of preference
Four new geographic districts with three council members elected to represent each district, expanded city council
A city council that focuses on setting policy and a mayor elected citywide to run the city’s day-to-day operations, with the help of a professional city administrator
What exactly do the recommendations mean?
Currently, Portland voters can only pick one candidate when they vote for city commissioners. Allowing voters to rank candidates in their order of preference using ranked choice voting gives voters more choices to express their true preferences and allows us to elect leaders who represent our communities.
Right now, Portland has four city commissioners that represent the city as a whole. Creating geographic districts with more than one council member to represent each district will increase accountability between residents and elected leaders. A 12-member City Council will help fix the city’s challenges.
In the current commission form of government, the mayor and city commissioners directly manage the city's bureaus. Shifting to a new government structure in which the City Council can focus on passing laws and the mayor can help implement them will help create a more responsive government.
What are the next steps in the process?
More than 6,000 Portlanders have weighed in over the past year through public comment, surveys, and community discussions. CCC has been grateful to work alongside the Charter Commission to engage historically disenfranchised Portlanders in this process and ensure their lived experiences, opinions, and ideas are considered. And recent polling conducted by CCC's sister organization, Building Power for Communities of Color, shows that Portlanders strongly supporting these important reforms to our government and elections.
The Charter Commission will host a series of public hearings in May for Portlanders to provide feedback on the proposed reforms. You can sign up to receive monthly Charter Commission updates here. In mid-June, the Commission will take a final vote on their proposals. If approved by the Charter Commission, the package of reforms will be on the November 2022 ballot for Portland voters to consider. Download the CCC’s public comment toolkit and curriculum here.
For more info...
Check out the CCC’s webpage on Charter Review and explore our educational resources. You can make your voice heard today by submitting your thoughts to CharterReview@portlandoregon.gov, and sign up for emails from CCC to stay up to date with the latest. And for more information, please contact our Civic Engagement Manager, Sol Mora, at sol@coalitioncommunitiescolor.org.