Virginia doubles down on ranked-choice voting experiment
by Harry Roth
The Virginia Legislature recently passed Senate Bill 176, which expands and regulates the use of ranked-choice voting (RCV) in local elections starting July 1, 2026. Currently, RCV can only be used in county board and city council elections, such as Arlington’s County Board primary.
The Arlington County Board first implemented RCV back in 2022, but has so far resisted making the change permanent, opting instead to extend its use on a temporary basis. It’s notable that after several years of experience, county officials still harbor reservations about the system.
This is not the first time Democrats in Virginia have pushed to expand RCV. Former Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed two previous expansion bills in 2024 and 2025 to prevent the commonwealth from normalizing a method with a long history of causing delays, confusion, and longer lines at the polls in other states and localities.
Governor Spanberger returned SB 176 with recommendations, which the legislature quickly adopted. The new law will not affect voters until individual localities pass ordinances or communities approve ballot measures to implement it. But before making any decisions regarding RCV, voters and local officials should consider if the many documented risks are worth the perceived benefits.
So far, 19 states have concluded that the risks outweigh the benefits and have banned the system to protect voters and ensure election integrity. Hopefully, a future Virginia legislature will choose to do the same.