| Yates Wilburn | FairVote |
On Wednesday, the Virginia General Assembly passed SB176 and HB630 into law, expanding the Commonwealth’s ranked choice voting (RCV) local option pilot program and making the program permanent. This makes Virginia the first state to pass pro-RCV legislation into law in 2026.
A record of success
RCV already has a record of success in Virginia, in both party-run primaries and government-run elections. Arlington County has used RCV four times in primaries and general elections for seats on its County Board – most recently in November 2025; in 2023, the Board voted to continue using RCV in all future primaries, and this year it voted to continue using RCV in at least the next two general elections. Charlottesville used RCV for the first time in June 2025 for its City Council primaries. Voters in both places say they want to continue using RCV.