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Charlottesville council takes first step toward ranked choice voting

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Crixell Matthews
/
VPM News File
Charlottesville City Council on Monday heard the first reading of a proposal that could result in the ranked choice voting being used in local elections.

Members OK’d the first reading of an ordinance to adopt the method for 2025.

The city of Charlottesville could become the second Virginia locality to use ranked choice voting in its local elections.

Charlottesville City Council on Monday approved the first reading of an ordinance that would result in Charlottesville using ranked choice voting for its June 2025 council primary.

Former Democratic Del. Sally Hudson, an advocate for the method, said the city has a long history of advocacy around the issue.

“Ranked choice voting started in Charlottesville more than 20 years ago when UVA students first adopted ranked choice for their student council elections,” the former professor said. “While that may not sound like a very big deal, roughly 5,000 students cast their ballots for student council every year on Grounds, which is almost as many people who vote in a Charlottesville City Council primary.”

The easiest way to explain the process is this: Instead of voting for a single person, a voter ranks their preferred or favorite candidates.

In 2020, Hudson sponsored a bill to allow the practice in the commonwealth — but only at the local level. So, county boards and city council elections can be decided through ranked choice voting, but not statewide or federal contests. State Sen. Creigh Deeds, a Charlottesville Democrat, filed a bill during the 2023 General Assembly session to expand the practice, but later withdrew the proposal after hearing concerns from state elections officials.

Currently, Arlington County is the only locale using the system.

During the public comment portion of Monday’s meeting, teacher Cindy Cartwright said she’s used ranked choice voting in her classroom to make decisions.

“I feel if fifth graders and sixth graders can do it and embrace it, then our Charlottesville community can as well,” she told council.

Hudson said the process bolsters the fairness of elections.

“I’m a firm believer that anytime you've got more than two candidates running, that ranked choice voting makes for a fairer race,” she said. “We should always give voters the opportunity to share how they feel about all the candidates, and that's true whether you're conducting a city council election or race for governor or even a race for president.”

Councilor Lloyd Snook is no stranger to how ranked choice voting works.

“When the Charlottesville Democratic Party used ranked choice voting to pick its candidates a couple of times in the last decade or so, I wrote the rules. I'm all in favor of the concept,” he said Monday.

One concern raised during the meeting revolved around the “nitty gritty issue” of how the system actually operates. Snook said the proposal appeared to be slightly different from a process he previously used.

Taylor Yowell, Charlottesville’s general registrar, explained that tabulation software is also needed for the process, because the city’s voting equipment currently only reads the first round of results. Ranked choice voting entails multiple rounds.

“That’s what will be reported on election night, and it cannot read anything past that,” Yowell said.

According to the ordinance’s text, approving the measure would also transfer $25,420 from the council budget to the registrar, in order to help pay for the processes’ implementation.

Kyna Thomas, the clerk of council, noted an error in the resolution’s third paragraph, which details the transfer of funds. She said it would be updated for the next council meeting.

A second reading and final vote of the proposed ordinance is set for the Sept. 3 City Council meeting.

Meghin Moore is a VPM News editor. She's a Penn State graduate with a background in broadcast and digital journalism. Previously, she worked at The Daily Progress in Charlottesville.