Candidate Field Set for Arlington's Latest Ranked Choice Race

Now that Virginia's primary election season has passed, voters are gearing up for November's general election, where five candidates are competing for a seat on the Arlington County Board. This fall marks the second year that Arlington will use ranked choice voting (RCV) in a general election after current Board Member Julius "JD" Spain, Sr. was elected via RCV in 2024.

Arlington voters will see some familiar names on their ballot this fall. Current County Board Chair Takis Karantonis is running for re-election after securing the Democratic nomination in June's primary contest against James DeVita. Karantonis brings some experience with ranked choice races, having won his first campaign for County Board in a party-run RCV caucus held in 2020. Republican Bob Cambridge is also vying for the seat, a rematch of his campaign against Karantonis in 2020. Three independents round out the field: returning candidate Audrey Clement and first-timers Jeramy Olmack and Carlos De Castro "DC" Pretelt.

In a ranked choice election, voters rank the candidates from most to least favorite. If a candidate receives a majority of the first-choice votes, that candidate wins and the race is over. But if no candidate receives a majority in the first round, the race continues in an "instant run-off" where the last-place candidate is eliminated and their supporters' votes go to the next choice on their ballots. The rounds continue until a candidate wins majority support and is declared the winner. 

The ranked-choice process encourages candidates to engage with voters beyond their base to earn second and third-choice support from other residents, a strategy the GOP candidate is embracing. Last month, Cambridge told ARLnow that he is "focusing on those people for whom I might be a second choice" in his effort to win the seat.

Due to technical constraints from the County's current voting system vendor, Arlington voters will be able to rank up to three candidates on their ballots this fall instead of the full field of five candidates. Arlington's Electoral Board plans to upgrade the County's voting equipment next year to allow residents to rank more candidates in future elections. Early voting opens on September 19 ahead of the November 4 general election.