Early Voting Opens in Arlington County Board Race

Arlington, VA — Early voting opens today in the general election for Arlington County Board, where five candidates are competing for a County Board seat using ranked choice voting (RCV). Arlington voters can cast their ballots at three early voting locations through November 1 ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, November 4.

The Candidates

Five candidates are running for the County Board this fall. Current Board Chair Takis Karantonis is seeking re-election after securing the Democratic nomination in June's primary against James DeVita. Republican Bob Cambridge and three independent candidates are also running: returning candidate Audrey Clement and first-time candidates Jeramy Olmack and Carlos De Castro "DC" Pretelt. This election marks the fourth time that Arlington will use ranked choice voting and the County's second general election using RCV.

How Ranked Choice Voting Works

Ranked choice ballots allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference rather than vote for just one. The ballots are then counted in an instant runoff to identify the winner with broadest support.

In Round 1, the first-choice votes are counted. If a candidate earns a majority of the Round 1 votes, that candidate will win the election. But if no candidate earns a majority of the first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated, and their supporters' votes will be transferred to their second-choice candidates. The elimination will continue in rounds until one of the candidates earns a majority of the votes and wins the election.

Arlington's current voting equipment allows voters to rank up to three candidates on their ballot instead of the full field of five. The Arilngton County Electoral Board plans to upgrade the County's voting systems next year to allow residents to rank more candidates in future elections.

Early Voting Locations

Voters can cast their ballots early in-person at three locations through Saturday, November 1.

Courthouse Plaza: 2100 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 320
Madison Community Center: 3829 N Stafford St.
Walter Reed Community Center: 2909 16th St. S.

All three locations are open Monday-Friday from 8 am-5 pm through October 31. For additional information on evening and weekend hours. visit vote.arlingtonva.gov/early-voting.