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County clerk outlines effects of Measure 117 (ranked‑choice voting); officials flag costs, implementation questions
Summary
Crook County Clerk Cheryl Seeley briefed commissioners on Measure 117 (referenced as House Bill 2004) and said ranked‑choice voting would phase in by Jan. 1, 2028. She warned of significant software, ballot‑layout and auditing implications and urged substantial voter education; commissioners expressed concerns about costs for small counties and preservation of auditability.
Cheryl Seeley, Crook County’s clerk and election official, presented Measure 117 — the ballot referral that would establish ranked‑choice voting for many statewide and federal offices if voters approve it — and laid out the local implications for election administration and costs.
Seeley said the measure would make ranked‑choice voting operative Jan. 1, 2028, and would require local clerks to prepare voters and modify administrative processes. She explained the mechanics of ranked counting — if no candidate wins a majority on first preferences, the lowest candidate is eliminated and those ballots are redistributed to voters’ next choices until one candidate reaches 50% plus one.
The presentation emphasized two practical challenges for counties: technology and auditability. Seeley told commissioners that counties will need to upgrade tabulation software or purchase new systems; she said upgrade packages had previously been described as running “anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000” for some counties and that smaller counties without upgradable equipment could face new system purchases that run substantially higher. She also warned that the secretary of state will perform the final ranked tabulation for multi‑county contests, which shifts some of the final tallying steps away from county control and raises questions about how local risk‑limiting audits and recounts would be conducted.
Other implementation concerns Seeley raised included ballot layout (ranked ballots can expand to multiple pages), increased postage and insertion costs for mail ballots, the need for a voter‑education campaign well in advance of local adoption, and open questions around how overvotes and skipped ranks will be treated in administrative rulemaking.
Commissioners asked procedural and cost questions throughout the presentation. Several expressed worry that smaller, rural counties could see steep per‑election increases in cost and staff time; Seeley said the Oregon Association of County Clerks will be part of rulemaking and that clerks will push for transparent, auditable processes.
No formal action was taken; the presentation served to inform the board and raise issues staff and elected clerks will pursue with the secretary of state and in rulemaking.
