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Featured Community Partner | Ranked Choice Virginia (RCV)

If you are one of the many who is fed-up with the toxic state of democracy in the United States, you might be interested in supporting a movement that seeks to restore some sanity to electoral discourse through a simple reform in the way we vote: ranked choice voting. Instead of reducing every race to a binary choice that might feel like a choice between two evils who are not responsive to your community’s interests, ranked choice allows for diversity to flourish on the ballot, and incentivizes collaboration rather than polarization. 

Here in Virginia, Ranked Choice Virginia (RCV), which has a joint plan of work with Virginia Organizing, is leading the charge, with former Delegate Sally Hudson at the helm. 

“I served four years in the General Assembly and encountered countless voters who were frustrated if not downright depressed about the state of American democracy,” Hudson says. “Lots of people feel like their vote doesn’t really matter – and they’re not always wrong. Our current pick-one, winner-take-all elections mean voters get fewer options and less power at the ballot box, but it doesn’t have to be that way.”

What is ranked choice voting? It is exactly what it sounds like: instead of voting for just one candidate, voters are presented with a list of candidates and asked to rank them according to preference. To win a race, a candidate must amass a majority of votes, and ranked choice ballots provide an instant run-off mechanism in the event that no single candidate gets more than 50% of the votes on the first round. In the run-off, the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated, and their supporters’ votes are transferred to their second choice. This procedure is repeated until a winner is determined. 

This method allows for diversity on the ballot by giving third-party candidates a chance to be considered on their own merits rather than merely as spoilers to the dominant two political parties. According to the Ranked Choice Voting website, “this encourages candidates to embrace what they have in common and draw distinctions on substantive issues,” thus mitigating political polarization and encouraging coalition building. To learn more about how ranked choice voting works (including helpful diagrams) visit RCV’s website.

RCV was established in 2021 after the passage of Virginia’s first ranked choice legislation. They have successfully implemented ranked choice voting in Arlington County in 2023, and will bring ranked choice to the City of Charlottesville elections in 2025. With campaigns active in Albemarle County, Fairfax City, and Newport News, Hudson believes Virginia is on the same trajectory that brought ballot reform all the way to state and federal elections in Maine and Alaska.

“The strongest ranked choice voting movements start at the local level,” she says. “In Maine, Portland residents started using ranked choice to elect their mayor in 2011, and by 2018 Mainers were using it to pick members of Congress. Virginia is now in those early stages.”Beyond these two states, over 50 cities across the US use ranked choice to pick elected officials. Hudson says that now is the perfect time to be in touch with your local representatives about adopting ranked choice voting in your community. You can get started by signing RCV’s petition, and they will follow up to connect you with other supporters in your area.

Featured Community Partner | Ranked Choice Virginia (RCV) Reviewed by on . If you are one of the many who is fed-up with the toxic state of democracy in the United States, you might be interested in supporting a movement that seeks to If you are one of the many who is fed-up with the toxic state of democracy in the United States, you might be interested in supporting a movement that seeks to Rating: 0
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