diff -u b/core/modules/user/user.pages.inc b/core/modules/user/user.pages.inc
--- b/core/modules/user/user.pages.inc
+++ b/core/modules/user/user.pages.inc
@@ -230,7 +230,6 @@
   $form['_account'] = array('#type' => 'value', '#value' => $account);
 
   // Display account cancellation method selection, if allowed.
-  $default_method = config('user.settings')->get('cancel_method');
   $admin_access = user_access('administer users');
   $can_select_method = $admin_access || user_access('select account cancellation method');
   $form['user_cancel_method'] = array(
@@ -365,14 +364,13 @@
   drupal_alter('user_cancel_methods', $methods);
 
   // Turn all methods into real form elements.
-  $default_method = config('user.settings')->get('cancel_method') ?: 'user_cancel_block';
   foreach ($methods as $name => $method) {
     $form[$name] = array(
       '#type' => 'radio',
       '#title' => $method['title'],
       '#description' => (isset($method['description']) ? $method['description'] : NULL),
       '#return_value' => $name,
-      '#default_value' => $default_method,
+      '#default_value' => config('user.settings')->get('cancel_method'),
       '#parents' => array('user_cancel_method'),
     );
   }
only in patch2:
unchanged:
--- a/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Upgrade/SystemUpgradePathTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Upgrade/SystemUpgradePathTest.php
@@ -75,6 +75,32 @@ public function testSystemVariableUpgrade() {
       'page.front' => 'node',
     );
 
+    $this->checkExpectedConfig($expected_config);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Tests upgrade of user variables.
+   */
+  public function testUserVariableUpgrade() {
+    $this->assertTrue($this->performUpgrade(), 'The upgrade was completed successfully.');
+
+    $expected_config['user.settings'] = array(
+      'cancel_method' => 'user_cancel_reassign',
+    );
+
+    $this->checkExpectedConfig($expected_config);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Checks old variables have been upgraded to use config.
+   *
+   * @param array $expected_config
+   *   An associative array, in the format:
+   *   array('config.object_name' => array(
+   *    'variable_name' => 'expected_value'),
+   *   );
+   */
+  protected function checkExpectedConfig(array $expected_config) {
     foreach ($expected_config as $file => $values) {
       $config = config($file);
       $this->verbose(print_r($config->get(), TRUE));
only in patch2:
unchanged:
--- a/core/modules/system/tests/upgrade/drupal-7.system.database.php
+++ b/core/modules/system/tests/upgrade/drupal-7.system.database.php
@@ -91,6 +91,10 @@
     'name' => 'site_slogan',
     'value' => 's:31:"CMI makes Drupal 8 drush cex -y";',
   ))
+->values(array(
+  'name' => 'user_cancel_method',
+  'value' => 's:20:"user_cancel_reassign"',
+))
 ->execute();
 
 db_update('variable')
only in patch2:
unchanged:
--- a/core/modules/user/config/user.settings.yml
+++ b/core/modules/user/config/user.settings.yml
@@ -12,3 +12,4 @@ notify:
   register_pending_approval: '1'
 register: visitors
 signatures: '0'
+cancel_method: user_cancel_block