Measure 117, which would bring ranked-choice voting to Oregon, fails

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Oregonians appear to have rejected a ballot measure that would have instituted ranked-choice voting statewide.

The measure failed due to the partial declarations that were published on Tuesday shortly after 8 p.m. and 60 percent voted against the measure. The Oregonian/OregonLive called the race on Tuesday and said the measure failed.

Measure 117 would have given Oregonians the opportunity to rank their preferred candidates for federal and state offices in primary and general elections: governor, treasurer, attorney general, secretary of state, labor commissioner, Congress and president.

Voters could also choose one candidate and not rank the others as usual. The measure did not apply to state elections and would not have taken effect until 2028.

Under the proposed ranked-choice voting system, a candidate would win if they receive more than 50% of the first-place vote. If this does not happen, the candidate with the fewest first votes is eliminated and the ballot papers go to each voter's second choice. This continues until someone receives more than half the votes.

Measure 117 supporters declined to comment on the initial results. A spokesman said they were still waiting for further results.

Opponents of Measure 117 — including some Republicans — claimed ranked-choice voting was costly, inefficient and unpredictable, and they sought to address some voters' concerns about election integrity.

In August, nearly half of Oregon's county clerks formed a political action committee that formally opposed the measure, saying their offices lacked the staff and technology to implement it. They also said they were not adequately consulted before lawmakers sent the measure to voters and that it could confuse voters at a time of rampant election skepticism and unproven allegations of fraud.

But officials said their intent in forming a political action committee was solely to raise concerns about the ballot measure, not to tell Oregonians how to vote.

Proponents of the ballot measure say ranked-choice voting can be an antidote to political polarization by ensuring candidates receive the most support possible. Winners would also be more representative of the communities they serve, encourage voter engagement and promise to quell negative attacks in politics, advocates say.

Committees supporting Measure 117 raised millions of dollars during the campaign, much of which came from Oregon Ranked Choice Voting, a Corvallis-based nonprofit. More than $3.4 million came from out-of-state groups, including more than $2.2 million from Article IV, a nonpartisan Virginia nonprofit that spends huge sums of money to support election reform efforts in several states across the country .

Measure 117 was advocated by various groups, including the League of Women Voters of Oregon and the Oregon American Civil Liberties Union.

Voters already used ranked choice voting in Corvallis and Benton County elections. They are using it for the first time in Portland this year and will use it in Multnomah County in 2026. It is also used in more than 50 locations across the country, including Maine and Alaska.

Voters in three other states and the District of Columbia will decide whether to implement statewide ranked-choice voting this election cycle.