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(Updates at 7:25 p.m. on 7/18/23) Arlington County is not adopting ranked-choice voting for the general election this November.

When voters hit the polls or mail in their ballots this fall, they will pick two candidates just like they would in previous two-seat years. Those who get the largest plurality of votes — even if it doesn’t constitute a majority — will win a seat.

In June, voters in the Arlington County Democratic Primary used ranked-choice voting for the first time, in Arlington and in Virginia, to choose two people to run as Democrats for County Board this fall. They selected Maureen Coffey and Susan Cunningham to face Republican Juan Carlos Fierro and independent Audrey Clement.

On Saturday, the Board discussed whether to adopt it for the general election and decided against it — for now.

During the discussion, no Arlington County Board members said they were ready to move forward. They hinted at a future adoption, however, and praised the Dept. of Elections for what they said was a flawless execution of the new system.

Board members expressed concerns, however, about how votes are counted when two seats are up and the quality of outreach to voters about the new system, particularly people of color, renters and young people.

Dubbed “single transferable vote,” votes for eliminated candidates are transferred to subsequent choices and a portion of a winning candidate’s votes are transferred to subsequent choices.

“This isn’t no forever,” said Board Vice-Chair Libby Garvey. “There’s real ramifications that people haven’t totally wrestled with. We need to understand before we move forward.”

She questioned whether a different tabulation method could have yielded a different outcome as well as whether the method did not equally count everyone’s second-choice vote.

County Board Chair Christian Dorsey wanted to see voters try out the method in a primary with only one open seat. He said this typically uses a tabulation style known as “instant runoff” and may be more commonly understood.

“While I don’t really see it as proper and appropriate to continue this for the general, I do hope that everyone will agree at least later on this year — or as soon as possible — to commit to doing this again for the next primary season and the next general election, when our community education can be a lot more consistent with what they think they know RCV to be,” Dorsey said.

Meanwhile, a majority of the 15 public speakers on Saturday urged the Board to adopt the method in all future elections.

Liz White, Executive Director of UpVote Virginia, acknowledged that tabulation remains a sticking point for Arlington voters but praised how it went this June.

“This Board passed the pilot program with unanimous support, the registrar’s office received no complaints on Election Day, and the county reports that a majority of voters liked RCV and want to use it again,” she said. “This community should be very proud, and it is our hope that Arlington will build on this positive momentum, and that the members of the Board will commit to using RCV in the future.”

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