Ranked-Choice Voting

Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) refers to an electoral method in which voters rank candidates in order of preference on their ballots. Ranked-choice voting eliminates the need for run-off elections. The states have the authority to determine which electoral systems they will use in contests for state-level offices.

Elections Charlottesville's at-large city council seats is a multi-winner contests. For example, three at-large council seats are up for election in a 2019. In this election, voters are asked to select up to three choices on their ballots. The top three vote-getters win election to the at-large seats. A multi-winner system is one in which multiple candidates are elected to an office.

In Virginia's 2019 legislative session, Delegate David J. Toscano (D - Charlottesville), 57th District and Delegate R. Lee Ware (R-Powhatan), 65th District sponsored HB2751 to bring RCV method for elections of members of a county board of supervisors or city council.

The Bill describes the method of casting and tabulating votes in which:

(i) voters rank candidates in order of preference,

(ii) tabulation proceeds in rounds in each of which either a candidate or candidates are elected or the last-place candidate is defeated, and

(iii) tabulation ends when the number of candidates elected equals the number of offices to be filled.

The bill provides that any costs incurred by the Department of Elections related to technological changes necessary for the implementation of ranked-choice voting pursuant to the bill shall be charged to the localities exercising the option to proceed with ranked-choice voting. The House Subcommittee (House Privileges and Elections Sub-Committee) recommended laying on the table (4-Y 3-N).

A similar bill was introduced by Delegates Nick Freitas (R - Culpeper) and Patrick Hope (D - Arlington) with HB2097 to bring ranked choice voting for elections of local and constitutional offices was defeated in House Subcommittee (7-Y 0-N).

As of 2019, one state (Maine - a Home Rule state) had implemented RCV at the state level.

Ranked-choice elections, also known as instant runoff elections, are currently used in 11 local jurisdictions. Maine voters on June 12 gave the green light for the system to be used for the first time in U.S. House and Senate elections in November. Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said he's open to the idea and wants to see how it works plays out in Maine. "States are the laboratories of democracy, and here's a great experiment for one laboratory. If it works well, others may adopt it. If not, then they won't," he said.