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County audit praises rank‑choice rollout but urges restored voter outreach, GIS hire and facility plan
Summary
A Multnomah County performance audit found successful implementation of rank‑choice voting but warned of staffing, voter‑education and mapping weaknesses that risk ballot errors and uneven participation; the audit recommends reinstating voter outreach, hiring in‑house GIS expertise by May 2026 and a facilities plan by June 2027.
An audit presented Tuesday by Multnomah County Auditor Jennifer McGor found the county successfully implemented rank‑choice voting but identified gaps that could threaten future elections. The auditor’s office recommended restoring a voter education and outreach program, adding in‑house GIS expertise, improving onboarding and standard operating procedures, and planning for a new elections facility.
The performance audit, introduced at the board meeting by Auditor McGor and carried by senior auditors Mandy Hood, Cineva Bennett and Danny Bernstein, examined ballot errors from 2024, the division’s rank‑choice implementation, staffing and the division’s facility. "Multma County successfully implemented rank choice voting," Cineva Bennett said during the presentation, adding that staff created new voting‑system software and practiced multi‑winner hand recounts.
But the team flagged risks. The audit noted that elimination of the county’s voter education and outreach program reduced community…
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