Ranked Choice Virginia Awarded Grant For Arlington Voter Education
Program builds on Charlottesville's RCV election in June
Arlington, VA — The Arlington County Board announced today that it has awarded grants to support voter education ahead of its ranked choice election this fall. Ranked Choice Virginia and Challenging Racism will lead public outreach work in partnership with FairVote and the RCV Resource Center, two of the nation's leading experts in RCV implementation.
This fall marks Arlington's fourth election using ranked choice voting, with five candidates competing for a County Board seat. The Board's current Chair, Democrat Takis Karantonis, is running for re-election, along with Republican Bob Cambridge and three independents: Audrey Clement, Jeramy Olmack and Carlos De Castro "DC" Pretelt.
After last November's election, County Registrar Gretchen Reinemeyer reported that most Arlington voters have adapted to the new system, and just 1 in 100 voters need assistance with filling out their ballots beyond a basic explanation. Still, public outreach can ensure that new arrivals to Arlington understand the County's election system, along with voters who may not have been reached by the County's past voter education work.
Arlington's voter education campaign builds on Ranked Choice Virginia's recent work preparing Charlottesville voters for the City's first RCV election. Post-election surveys found that 96% of Charlottesville primary voters were confident marking their ballots and 80% strongly support using RCV in future elections.
Arlington's continued investment in ranked choice voting reflects growing momentum for RCV across Virginia. In the last year, elected leaders in Albemarle, Falls Church, Loudoun, and the City of Fairfax have all discussed adopting RCV for their local elections.
The Board's public outreach campaign begins this week at the Arlington County Fair and continues through Election Day on Tuesday, November 4. Early voting starts on Friday, September 19.
