Voter turnout is an indicator of people’s engagement in the democratic process. The more people participate, the more likely they are to have elected officials that represent their values, priorities, or communities.  Voter participation can increase knowledge of local issues and challenges, and may increase civic engagement.

The City uses granular voter turnout data, such as data by district and precinct, to look for differences in voter participation and help with planning voter education efforts. More analysis on these data is available in the December 2024 Election Outcomes and Preliminary Voter Education Report.

The numbers show the fluctuation in voter participation in general elections. Only voters who vote for at least one City of Portland candidate are included in this count.

Voter turnout is hard to predict because it is driven by complex factors such as the specific items on the ballot for an election, national or local sentiment, national or global emergencies, whether it is a Presidential election year, and many others.

The November 2024 election is notable because it was the first one in which Portlanders used ranked choice voting (RCV) to vote on an expanded city council by geographic district. Studies are inconclusive about whether RCV has a direct impact on voter turnout. More research is needed to understand the impact the change to RCV may have had in Portland elections, but this link may be especially hard to track considering the multitude of factors that may have also influenced turnout in this specific election. Some of these factors include the high number of candidates on the ballot, federal and state contests on the ballot, sweeping changes to the government structure in Portland, the creation of City Council districts and an increase in voter engagement by the City.

The voter turnout numbers reflect Portlanders voting on Portland-specific candidate contests in general elections, which happen every two years nationwide. This measure includes the percentage of registered Portland voters who cast a ballot and voted on at least one City of Portland candidate contest. If a City resident cast a ballot and only voted on State and Federal items, they would not be counted for this measure. Data prior to 2024 includes voters who cast a ballot on any City of Portland contest, including candidate contests.

The City of Portland lies within three different counties: Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington. An intergovernmental agreement between the counties specifies that Multnomah County manages the tabulation process and data for elections in which ranked choice voting is used. This data is then shared with the City of Portland.

The December 2024 Election Outcomes and Preliminary Voter Education Report provides detailed analysis on the voter experience and the outcomes of voter education work done in 2024 by the City.

The City’s Elections Division maintains a maps and data webpage which provides more detailed data and reports on Portland’s elections.

For a complete overview of ranked choice voting in the City of Portland, refer to the City’s voter education website.