Loudoun County Supervisors Get Briefing on Ranked Choice Voting

Leesburg, VA — Loudoun County election officials briefed the Board of Supervisors yesterday on the potential adoption of ranked choice voting (RCV) in future elections. County Registrar Judith Brown confirmed that Loudoun can conduct RCV elections using its existing voting equipment but cautioned that Virginia law only allows ranked choice in fairly narrow cases.

Under current law, Virginia counties can only use ranked choice in elections for the Board of Supervisors. Last month, the State Senate passed legislation that would have expanded local authority to conduct RCV elections to all local offices, including town councils and school boards, but the House of Delegates amended the bill to remove that key provision. 

Supervisors expressed a range of views on the potential benefits and challenges of adopting ranked choice voting. Chair Phyllis Randall understood the motivation for run-off reforms, given the wide field races she's faced in past elections. "Every single time I've been on the ballot I've had more than one opponent," she said. Randall also applauded the potential for ranked choice to pull more people into the political process. "I love the idea of something that encourages more people to run for office."

Supervisor Kushner shared concerns that ranked choice might actually discourage voter participation if voters are confused or frustrated by the change. 

Data from Arlington's ranked choice pilot, however, has shown no impact on turnout in County Board races. The share of Arlington voters who completed the County Board portion of their ballot has remained steady at 86% before (2020) and after (2024) ranked choice voting.

Arlington Registrar Gretchen Reinemeyer joined the meeting remotely to speak directly to Arlington's experience. "The first year is a big lift. I'm not going to sugar coat it," said Reinemeyer. "There is a definite need to educate the community about ranked choice voting because it is a new method," she said. "By the time we got to our general election, it was basically a non-issue."

Randall noted that County Board races occur in "off-odd year" election cycles, like 2027, when neither federal nor statewide races are on the ballot, so they tend to draw the County's most engaged voters. "I don't buy that it would be too confusing," said Randall. "Those voters know what they're doing." 

Supervisor Koran Saines, who sponsored the measure requesting the briefing, was also encouraged by Arlington's pilot experience. "The system is working as intended," said Saines. "With education, the program went pretty smoothly these last few elections."

The most common concern Board members shared was frustration with the current limits of their legal authority. "It's too bad we can't do it for congressional [races]," said Supervisor TeKrony. "We tend to have lots of primary candidates." Broader use of ranked choice voting in federal elections would require legislation from the General Assembly. 

The registrar's presentation concluded with a list of potential action items for the Board to consider. If the Board wishes to continue its RCV discussion in the coming months, it can request a fiscal analysis from the Office of Elections and Voter Registration.

A recording of the Board's discussion can be viewed here.