BENTON COUNTY MEASURE 2-100
RANKED CHOICE VOTING
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 8, 2016
CONTACT: Blair Bobier 503.559.6176
Dan Rayfield 541.745.8874
RANKED CHOICE VOTING CAMPAIGN MAKES HISTORY
Benton County the First in Oregon to Adopt RCV
Benton County voters approved Measure 2-100 today, a pioneering Ranked Choice Voting initiative, making the County the first in Oregon to adopt the innovative voting method. The Measure won by 54%-46%. On the other side of the country, Maine looked likely to be the first state to approve Ranked Choice Voting for statewide elections.
“We made history today,” said Blair Bobier, a Benton County Planning Commissioner and one of two Chief Petitioners for the initiative. “This is one small step for Benton County and one giant leap for Oregon democracy.”
The passage of Measure 2-100 means that Benton County will use Ranked Choice Voting for electing local officials as soon as funding is procured for educating voters about the change in voting methods. The Measure specifies that county taxpayers will not be on the hook for this expenditure—the funding will come from either the State of Oregon or sources such as non-profit organizations.
State Rep. Dan Rayfield, the measure’s other Chief Petitioner, said “Oregon is a nationally recognized leader of voting innovations like vote-by-mail and automatic voter registration. Ranked Choice Voting continues this pioneering tradition. Benton County’s Ranked Choice Voting deserves the support of all Oregonians as a blueprint for the future of Oregon’s democracy.”
-30-
www.betterballotbenton.com