Nonprofits start campaign to bring proportional ranked choice voting to Deschutes County
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A new campaign is underway by several nonprofits in Deschutes County that its supporters say could reshape how local leaders are elected and give more voters a voice in the process.
A coalition of community members and good-government groups has launched a signature drive for a proposed measure called Voices for All of Deschutes, which would bring proportional ranked choice voting to county commission races.
Ranked choice voting is a system where voters rank candidates in order of preference instead of picking just one, and if no candidate wins a majority, the lowest vote-getter is eliminated and those ballots move to the voter’s next choice. It is used in places like Portland, Minneapolis, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and many other cities across the country.
What supporters want
Backers of the measure say Deschutes County needs a system that better reflects the full range of voters in the county. They argue the current or proposed options for county commission elections could leave too many residents without real representation.
Freddy Finney-Jordet, campaign manager for Deschutes Defend Our Democracy Coalition, said the proposal is meant to avoid shutting out entire groups of people. He said proportional ranked choice voting is a “gold standard” system for legislative bodies and pointed to its use by more than 280,000 Oregonians in other counties.
Brian Smith of the Tribal Democracy Project said proportional representation would help eliminate gerrymanders, reduce the influence of money and corporate interests, and allow all voters to have a say in who is elected.
What the debate is about
The push comes after voters approved expanding the Deschutes County Commission from three members to five in 2024. The initiative was put on the ballot after John Heylin collected enough signatures for it to qualify. Voters then passed the initiative by a large margin.
Since then, county election rules have become a major topic of discussion, with several approaches under consideration.
One option would keep the current system, where commissioners are elected at-large. Another would divide the county into five districts, with one commissioner elected from each district. Supporters of the district map say it would create geographic representation, while critics argue it could be drawn to give one political party an advantage.
Opponents of the at-large system say it lets a majority faction control the whole board and can leave rural, progressive, and conservative voters without a meaningful voice. Critics of the district plan say it could amount to gerrymandering and prevent voters from weighing in on every commission seat.
Debate over Districting
The districting fight has drawn clear lines in Deschutes County. Supporters of the map, including Commissioners Patti Adair and Tony DeBone, say moving to five commissioner districts would give voters better geographic representation and finally put a plan in place for the expanded board approved by voters in 2024. County staff and the District Mapping Advisory Committee spent months drawing the proposal, using population data and voter registration trends to build what they describe as a balanced map.
Opponents, including Commissioner Phil Chang and many residents who packed public hearings, say the map is unfair and could tilt the county’s political balance. Critics argue the proposed lines split Bend in a way that weakens the city’s influence and could favor conservative voters, while supporters say the district plan is the fairest way to ensure all parts of the county have a voice.
Why this matters
Supporters of the new petition say proportional representation could be a middle ground that captures the strengths of both systems while avoiding their biggest flaws. They say it would give more voters a seat at the table and help elect commissioners who better reflect the county’s political and geographic diversity.
Kate Titus, executive director of Common Cause Oregon, said the state has a history of leading on election reform, pointing to vote-by-mail and automatic voter registration. She said Oregon can again help lead the way as other states look for new ways to strengthen democracy.
Next steps
The petition, Initiative Petition 9-2026-I-01, was cleared for signature gathering in May by elections officials. Supporters of the “Voices for All of Deschutes” campaign plan to host a kickoff event on June 27 for residents who want to learn more and get involved.
The campaign now faces the harder part: gathering enough signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot.
