Arlington County Board Extends Ranked Choice Voting Through 2027

Arlington, VA — Arlington County Board members voted unanimously this week to extend the county's use of ranked choice voting through its 2027 general election. Next year's election cycle will mark the county's fifth year using ranked choice ballots after Arlington became the first jurisdiction in Virginia to conduct a ranked choice election in 2023.

The Board's decision follows the release of results from a recent county-commissioned survey, which found that 66% of surveyed voters support using ranked choice voting in future County Board elections, with majority support across every age bracket, ethnic group, and education level.

Arlington voters will elect two of the Board's five members in the 2027 cycle, including the seat currently held by Board member Susan Cunningham. Cunningham acknowledged that ranked choice voting can encourage more candidates to run, making her own re-election bid more competitive, but, she said, "our biggest self-interest is for democracy," and welcomed the broader benefits of ranked choice voting.

Though the Board's extension keeps ranked choice voting in place through the next election cycle, members deferred a decision on making ranked choice permanent to a broader review of the county's form of government which is already underway. In December, the Board adopted a timeline for soliciting an independent study of the County Board's structure and performance, with results due later this year. The Board may then convene an advisory board to consider ranked choice voting's future among other questions – including, potentially, the Board's size and the length of its members' terms.

Arlington's latest ranked choice action comes amid broader progress for election reformers in the region. Voters in nearby Washington, DC will cast their first ranked choice ballots for mayor and city council in the district's primary election this June.