Rachna Sizemore Heizer Wins Democratic Nomination for Braddock District Supervisor
Sizemore Heizer secured decisive victory with 60% of first-choice votes.
Fairfax, VA — Fairfax County School Board member Rachna Sizemore Heizer secured the Democratic nomination for Braddock District Supervisor this weekend with a decisive victory over three other candidates. Sizemore Heizer earned 60% of first-choice votes from the 3,409 Democratic voters who participated in the primary. At-Large School Board member Ilryong Moon finished second with 21.9%, followed by Fairfax Young Democrats co-president Sabrina Mattin (13.5%) and librarian April Pavis-Shroeder (4.7%).
The Democratic primary featured ranked choice voting, which allows voters to rank all four candidates on their ballot. The ballots are then counted in an "instant runoff" until one of the candidates earns majority support from the electorate. With 60% of first-choice votes, Sizemore Heizer won an outright majority in the first round, making later rounds unnecessary to determine the winner.
The special election for the Braddock District was triggered less than one month ago, when former Supervisor James Walkinshaw resigned the seat after winning election to Congress, leaving the Fairfax County Democratic Committee less than four weeks to organize a party-run primary. To encourage broad voter participation, the Committee opted to allow online voting via ElectionBuddy, a software platform that delivers ballots to voters via email. Voters were also offered the option to vote in person at three physical polling locations. On Saturday afternoon, unexpectedly high voter turnout at in-person polling places spurred long lines for voters, leading the Committee to extend the online voting window through Sunday evening, when polls were closed and the final results were released.
This primary marked the first exposure to ranked choice voting for many Fairfax County voters. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has not yet authorized parties to use ranked choice in state-administered elections, but the Fairfax County Democratic Committee was free to use ranked choice in this party-run nominating contest. Arlington and Charlottesville are the two Virginia localities that currently allow ranked choice in state-run local elections. Nationwide, more than 50 other cities use RCV at the local level, including New York City, Minneapolis, Santa Fe, and Salt Lake City.
Sizemore Heizer will now face Republican Ken Balbuena in the special election for the Braddock District seat on December 9, 2025. The winner will serve through 2027, when all ten seats on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors are next up for election.
