Portland Charter Commission Unanimously Supports Proposals for Reform

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.

Take Our Charter Review Survey by Jan. 24

The Coalition of Communities of Color’s Charter Review Community Priorities Survey is now live! Make your voice heard by taking the survey by Monday, January 24.

The Portland Charter Commission is considering recommending changes to Portland’s form of government and voting system. Changes approved by the Charter Commission will be referred to the ballot for Portland voters to decide on.

Take our survey about Community Priorities for the Portland Charter Review Process to make your voice heard in this important process and help shape the future of our city. The survey is available in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Vietnamese.

The purpose of this survey is to help us understand how community members would like to be served by our city government and how they would like to be represented by our city’s elected leaders. Your perspective will help inform the Charter Commission about your priorities on the topics they are reviewing.

If you would like more information, the CCC has created a webpage to educate and engage Portlanders in the Charter Review process. Check it out to learn more about why this process matters and ways you can take action.

Visit bit.ly/charter-survey by Monday, January 24, 2022. One lucky participant will win a $250 gift card! Thank you for engaging with this important process.