Arlington Returns To Traditional Voting For 2023 Election: Take Survey

ARLINGTON, VA — With less than three weeks left until early voting starts in November's general election, it's time to start thinking about who is on the ballot in Arlington and how we got here.

The first day of in-person early voting is Sept. 22. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 16. And on Tuesday, Nov. 7, Election Day, all Arlington polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Looking back a few months, the Democratic primary election for Arlington County Board in June left many voters confused by the tabulation process used in Virginia's first-ever publicly run election that used ranked choice voting.

Due in part to the confusion, the Arlington County Board decided in July to nix ranked choice voting for the county board election in November, when two open seats will be on the ballot. The general election will return to the traditional voting method for the two open county board seats.

Arlington County Board members cited the complexity of having two seats open on the county board as a reason for rejecting the use of ranked choice voting in the general election.

Some Arlington voters believe the ranked choice voting system that was used to select the candidates in the Democratic primary to fill two vacant Arlington County Board seats unfairly disenfranchised voters.

READ ALSO: Ranked Choice Voting In Arlington Scuttled By Vote Counting Confusion

Candidates Susan Cunningham and Natalie Roy received nearly 49 percent of all first-choice votes cast, coming in first and second. Under the ranked choice voting system, though, only one of them won one of the two seats up for grabs.

Some voters in the Democratic primary were able to have their first-, second- and third-choice votes counted, while those who voted for Cunningham as their number one choice had only one vote counted for the two open board seats.

Along with many voters feeling disenfranchised by how the votes were counted in the two-seat Democratic primary, voters across the board were surprised by the county board’s decision to use ranked choice voting in the Democratic primary but not in the general election.

Some residents contend the county board used ranked choice voting in the Democratic primary to ensure that only one candidate opposed to Expanded Housing Options, formerly known as Missing Middle, would qualify for the general election in November.

They also believe that the county board voted to reject the use of ranked choice voting in November out of fear that it could improve the chances of Audrey Clement, an independent candidate who opposes EHO, winning in the general election in November.

Appearing on the Nov. 7 ballot for the two seats opening on the Arlington County Board are Cunningham and Maureen Coffey, the winners of the June 20 Democratic primary. Clement and Republican newcomer Juan Carlos Fierro are also on the ballot.

Arlington Patch is conducting a survey (see below to participate in survey) to gauge how Arlington voters feel about the use of ranked choice voting in the Democratic primary and how they plan to vote using the traditional method in the general election in November. The survey will remain open until noon on Monday, Sept. 11.

RELATED:

• Charlottesville Learns About Arlington's Use Of Ranked Choice Voting
• Majority Oppose Ranked Choice Voting For Arlington Election: Survey