Arlington County Board Primary Election: 6 Candidates Vie For 2 Seats

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County voters are casting ballots in the primary election for two seats on the county board and other races on Tuesday. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

All Arlington registered voters can cast a ballot in the Democratic primaries.

Six candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination for Arlington County Board to fill two seats opening on the board. Current board members Katie Cristol and Christian Dorsey each announced in 2022 that they would not run for re-election to a third term.

Arlington is using ranked choice voting for the first time in the primary election for the county board. Ranked choice voting is a voting method in which voters rank candidates in order of preference —in the county board primary election, first choice, second choice and third choice.

Due to the new type of voting method, the two winners in the county board primary are unlikely to be announced Tuesday night. It could take until the end of the week or early next week for both winners to be determined.

The two winners of the primary for county board will then run as the Democratic Party's candidates in the general election in November.

On the ballot, the six candidates in the Democratic primary for county board are listed in this order: Natalie Roy, Maureen Coffey, Jonathan Dromgoole, JD Spain, Tony Weaver and Susan Cunningham.

"Finally, the day has come, the day for our citizenry to get out and exercise their right to vote," Spain said shortly before 9 a.m. on Tuesday outside the Overlee Knolls and Lexington precincts, his fourth campaign stop of the morning. "I'm feeling pretty good, but I'm not overly confident."

Spain said his campaign has left no stone unturned. "The level of engagement in the community, whether it's been on the north side, south side, east side, west side, has been very robust for this campaign," he said. "There are 50 polling sites in Arlington, and I'm going to visit as many as I can today."

Maureen Coffey, who is also seeking one of the two nominations for candidate board, said her campaign, since she announced her candidacy in January, has gone even better than she imagined.

"Whatever happens today, I'm really proud of the race that we ran. I think we've made an impact on talking about issues that are really important," Coffey said. "A lot of people are really excited to have some new voices on the county board."

Housing affordability issues are "front and center, and we have to address them," she said about her conversations with voters.

"Folks are also very impressed with how well-thought-out and thorough I've been in this campaign, really thinking about the policy and focusing on what we can get done," Coffey said.

"In addition, there's a lot of people who want to vote for a young person," added Coffey, who is the youngest of the six candidates running in the Democratic primary for county board.

Michael, a resident of the Lyon Park neighborhood, told Patch he decided to volunteer for Roy's campaign due almost exclusively to the county's decision to pursue rezoning of single-family areas of Arlington County.

"Complete disinterest in county-level politics previously," he said. "This one, single topic has brought me out."

The Arlington County Board had promised early in the Missing Middle Housing process not to do "any rash, countywide rezoning," Michael said. "Last fall, I started to attend the open town hall meeting and realized about 70 percent of my neighbors — or at least the ones who show up — are opposed to this concept."

Michael said he conducted his own survey of Lyon Park residents and found that 83 percent of his neighbors were opposed to Missing Middle, or expanded housing options.

If the Missing Middle plan included only townhouses and duplexes and not complexes with up to six units, "you wouldn't see me here right now" campaigning for Roy, he added.

Alliston, a nearby resident, who was volunteering outside the Overlee Knolls and Lexington precincts, said she is supporting Cunningham due to her knowledge of local issues and professional leadership experience.

"She wants to take care of the basics, addressing mental health problems, responding to Missing Middle issues and long-range planning for the community," Alliston said.

How to Vote on Election Day

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, June 20. To check your polling place, visit the Virginia Department of Elections citizens portal.

To see a polling places, visit the Arlington County Department of Elections website. An acceptable form of identification is required to vote in person.

A Note On Early Voting

Early voting wrapped up Saturday, June 17. For those who requested a mail-in ballot, it must be returned in person by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20 or postmarked on or before June 20. The mail must be received by the Arlington County Department of Elections before noon on Friday, June 23.

Mail-in ballots may be returned by mail, at drop boxes across the county, and on Election Day at polling places between 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Where to Find Election Results

Unofficial election results will start to come in after polls close at 7 p.m. on June 20 on the Virginia Department of Elections website. Follow Patch on Election Day for live coverage of Arlington County primary election results.

RELATED:

• Arlington Board Candidates Make Last Pitches Ahead Of Primary Election
• Arlington Democrats Debate Offers New Look At County Board Candidates
• Arlington Board Candidates Call For Close Monitoring Of Missing Middle