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Office of the Lane County Clerk: STAR Voting frequently asked questions

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Office of the County ClerkLane County Oregon
Elections Division
Proposed Measure 20-364

STAR Voting FAQ

What would happen if the Measure passes?

If Oakridge voters pass proposed Measure 20-364, Lane County Elections would be required to tabulate candidates for City of Oakridge positions using the STAR voting method starting in November 2026. STAR voting is a method in which voters score candidates from zero to five stars and then the top two move to an automatic runoff in which the candidate receiving the most votes wins. Other districts would retain the current method of voting.

If passed, who would pay for the development of a STAR voting system and how much would it cost?

Ballots must be tallied on a voting system that is certified federally and at the state level. At this time, no certified voting system exists for STAR voting and according to SOS Directive 20224-4, hand counting ballots for the City of Oakridge is prohibited because it has more than 500 registered voters. If Oakridge voters pass proposed Measure 20-364, Lane County would pay for the development and annual maintenance of a STAR voting system. According to Clear Ballot, the certified voting system Lane County Election uses, is not included for their development at this time, therefore they cannot provide an estimate. Although Clear Ballot has not provided an estimate, other counties that have implemented Ranked Choice Voting (a similar alternative voting system) have paid up to $140,000 in development fees, and their annual maintenance fees have increased by $40,000 a year.

What would happen if the proposed Measure does not pass?

The proposed changes to the voting system would not take place, and the implementation and ongoing costs would not be incurred. If passed, how long would it take for the voting system vendor to develop a tabulation system for STAR Voting? According to Clear Ballot, they cannot provide an estimate on how long it would take to develop because they have not included STAR voting in development plans at this time. No federally certified tally system exists for STAR voting.

If Oakridge voters pass proposed Measure 20-364, according to the City of Oakridge’s charter, it would be used starting in the November 2026 election. Ballots for the November 2026 election must be created by September 4, 2026, which would leave 26 months for the development of a tabulation system for STAR voting.

If passed, Lane County Elections would be working with Clear Ballot to create a new tabulation system for STAR voting. Lane County Elections would also be working to create and implement a system for Ranked Choice Voting (which will be placed before Oregon voters in November). Creating, testing and implementing two new voting systems in 26 months would be challenging with the current level of staffing and funding at Lane County Elections. See the section below for more information about the question of Ranked Choice Voting.

How would a STAR voting election be conducted if passed by Oakridge voters?

Since there has been no development on the STAR voting method by Lane County Election’s certified voting system vendor, it is difficult to begin creating a plan. Based on how other jurisdictions are conducting Ranked Choice Voting, voters in the City of Oakridge would likely receive two ballots in the same ballot packet. One ballot would contain the City of Oakridge candidates that would be selected using STAR voting, and the other ballot would contain all of the other races and measures that would be considered by voters using the standard voting method.

What would the fiscal affect of proposed Measure 20-364 be on Lane County if passed?

If Oakridge voters pass proposed Measure 20-364, Lane County Elections would be required by ORS 254.046 to absorb the cost for all Primary and General elections, which includes the instances when STAR voting would be used.
Below is a list of possible ongoing expenses:

  • Printing additional ballots ($.35 each x *2,314 voters) $810
  • Additional instructions ($.10 x *2314 voters) $23
  • Additional staff to process returned ballots and provide customer service $3000-$5000 Additional annual maintenance for voting system hardware/software could be $30,000 -$40,000
    Possible one-time expense:
  • Voter education campaign $10,000

*9/19/2024- 2,314 active registered voters in the City of Oakridge.

What would happen if voters pass Ranked Choice Voting statewide in November 2024?
Oregon voters will have the opportunity to consider Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) for federal and some state offices this coming November. The matter will be on the ballot as a result of House Bill 2004. If passed by voters, any local government could opt-in and elect its candidates using Ranked Choice Voting, as well as those federal and statewide offices included in the bill.

f both STAR voting in Eugene and RCV statewide are passed by voters, voting in 2028 could look like:
Inside the City of Oakridge- The ballot packet would include 3 separate ballots:
• One to vote for City of Oakridge candidates using STAR voting
• One to vote for federal, some state, and jurisdictions who opted in using RCV
• One for non-RCV jurisdictions
Voters outside of the City of Oakridge would receive a ballot packet with 2 separate ballots:
• One to vote for federal, some state, and jurisdictions who opted in using RCV
• One for non-RCV jurisdictions
Voters would vote all of their ballots and return them in one return envelope.
During the deconstruction process (the act of opening and separating ballots from envelopes), election workers would separate RCV, STAR, and standard ballots to be tabulated using a method that was created for the specific voting method.
There would be 3 separate sets of election results.
Since voters who receive multiple ballots do not always return each one, the deconstruction and reconciliation process would require additional staff and time. As a result, election results would potentially be delayed.

This information was reviewed by the Oregon Elections Division for compliance with ORS 260.432

OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK / ELECTIONS DIVISION
275 W 10th Ave / Eugene OR 97401-3008 / (541) 682-4234 / Fax (541) 682-2303 [email protected]
/ lanecounty.org/elections
9 a.m.-Noon and 1-4 p.m. Monday-Friday / 7 a.m.-8 p.m. on Election Day

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George Custer lives in Oakridge with his wife Sayre. George is a former smokejumper from his hometown of Cave Junction, a former captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. and ran a construction company in Southern California. George assumed the volunteer duties as the Editor of the Highway 58 Herald in 2022. He loves riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, building all things wood, and playing drums on the weekends in his office.

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