| Jason Armesto | The Daily Progress |
When Charlottesville voters hit the polls in next June’s primary, they will likely encounter ranked-choice voting for the first time. That’s after City Council chose to put an ordinance for ranked-choice voting on the consent agenda for Council’s next meeting, virtually guaranteeing that Charlottesville will become the second locality in all of Virginia to use the voting method.
The adoption of ranked-choice voting was made possible in July 2021, when the General Assembly passed a bill authorizing localities to implement ranked-choice voting in the elections of members of county boards of supervisors and city councils. So far, Arlington is the only other locality in Virginia to take advantage of the legislation and has already run a county board race using ranked-choice voting. Dozens of other U.S. cities use the method, as do Maine and Alaska for statewide elections.
Candidates who build coalitions
Virginia advocates hope to introduce ranked-choice voting to voters one locality at a time, demonstrate that it’s a superior voting system and ultimately expand it to statewide elections. The public, advocates argue, like ranked-choice voting because it allows them to vote for their favorite candidates, rather than having to choose a candidate they think can actually win.
“It allows voters to more fully express their preference and rewards candidates who build coalitions, not those who rely on a narrow base of voters,” according to Upvote Virginia, a ranked-choice voting advocacy group.