Oregon Measure 117 will increase Native representation in elected offices

Ranked-choice voting (RVC) is strongly supported by Indigenous organizations who believe it could increase representation in their elected offices.

Oregon Measure 117 on Tuesday's vote

Oregonians must decide on Tuesday, November 5 whether they want to support the implementation of RCV. RCV, known as Measure 117, will take effect in the 2028 election if approved.

Measure 117 allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference for federal, state and general elections.

Voters rank the candidates in order of preference

The ranking system even applies to the office of President of the United States and the state offices of governor, secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general and commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries. It will have no impact on state legislative elections.

Portland will test RCV

Portland will test RCV in its city elections this year, including for mayor and city council positions.

Measure 117 has received the support of over 130 organizations nationwide, including two homegrown nonprofits, Tribal Democracy Projects and NAYA Action Fund, as well as community-based nonprofits such as Seeding Justice, More Equitable Democracy, and the Coalition of Communities of Color.

Brian Smith, co-founder of the Tribal Democracy Project, says the organization's focus in 2024 was supporting Measure 117, which they say is a “more proportionate system of electing Natives, particularly in rural areas.”

Smith believes RCV allows people to vote for values ​​rather than strategic decisions. Measure 117 promotes the right to select one candidate and not rank others.

He pointed to Alaska, which introduced RCV in 2020, as an example. In the 2022 election, U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, Yup'ik, was elected as Alaska's first Native Congresswoman.

RCV is supported by affiliated Northwest Indian tribes

A resolution supporting RCV was adopted last month at the annual meeting of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI), which represents 57 native people from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Northern California, Southeast Alaska and Western Montana.

The resolution states that if tribal voters can participate in the political system “free from the barriers that currently hinder us,” they can regain power and participation in a fair and equitable manner.

Measure 117 is also supported by the NAYA Action Fund, a nonprofit organization that promotes political advocacy and electoral power in collaboration with indigenous communities in Oregon and Washington.

NAYA Executive Director William Miller, Blackfeet and Cherokee, says current voting methods do not create an electorate that truly represents the people and the people, as required by the Constitution.

NAYA welcomes the move away from the current winner-takes-all system

He says moving away from a winner-take-all system gives voters more choice and the opportunity to vote in accordance with their values, leading to a fairer democracy.

Miller believes his people deserve to be heard and seen, and Measure 117 allows them to run for office, paving the way for them to have a voice at the table – to be heard and seen.

“It is my hope that Measure 117 will usher in a new wave of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) candidates running and winning elected office,” Miller said.

Measure 116 is also supported by NAYA

NAYA also supports Measure 116, which she says goes hand in hand with Measure 117 to create a fairer voting system.

Measure 116 will authorize an independent commission to set salaries for high-ranking officials such as the governor, secretary of state, lawmakers and other elected state officials, rather than the current system in which politicians set their pay scales.

Currently, the Oregon State Legislature pays its representatives $35,000 per year. According to Miller, this low pay scale makes the choice only attractive to wealthy or retired candidates and excludes many potential candidates.