Bob Gibson Guest Column: Ranked-choice voting is a golden opportunity for Charlottesville
The Daily Progress | July 12
By Bob Gibson
Charlottesville and Albemarle County share golden opportunities to help lead the way to a type of voting reform that reduces polarization in politics and discourages negative campaigning.
Charlottesville City Council plans to discuss ranked-choice voting and Arlington County’s experience with it on Aug. 7.
Arlington County last month became Virginia’s first locality to use ranked-choice voting in a publicly run election. Six candidates for county board seats ran for a pair of Democratic Party nominations in a primary election.
Both Albemarle and Charlottesville are considering ranked-choice voting as a new balloting method for local elections starting in 2025.
City councilors and county supervisors say they like the way ranked-choice voting promotes positive campaigning and candidates who build consensus.
The system has been used for more than a century in Australia and in a growing number of American states and communities from California and Alaska to Maine.
Instead of using the traditional winner-take-all balloting, voters in Arlington picked a first, second and third choice of candidates and thus prompted a series of “instant runoffs.” First-place votes were counted to see if a candidate achieved the necessary number to win.
Without a winner, the lowest-ranked candidates were eliminated. After four eliminations, both winners were chosen in Arlington’s primary.
Exit polls show months of voter education in Arlington about the ranked-choice process led to overall voter satisfaction and few complaints. Few voters were confused by the ballot choices, and everyone who tried to vote did so successfully.
An analysis of the close primary showed that at least 84% of the voters had at least one winner among their top three ranked choices.
Charlottesville City Council and the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors are actively considering becoming the next Virginia localities to join Arlington in the voting reform in local elections, as are Loudoun and Prince William counties, Norfolk, Fredericksburg and Richmond. Albemarle supervisors even tucked in $65,000 in next year’s budget to implement the process.
Early adoption has advantages over late adoption. Some Arlington voters said they felt too little time was left last month for enough voter education about the new process. The 2025 election cycle is really not all that far away.
As a longtime resident of Charlottesville, I support implementing ranked-choice voting in our local council elections as allowed by state law. I believe that this voting system will have a positive impact on our community in several ways.
Ranked-choice voting will reduce polarization in our politics. This system encourages candidates to appeal to a broader range of voters, rather than just their base. It also discourages negative campaigning, as candidates are incentivized to build coalitions with other candidates and their supporters.
Ranked-choice voting encourages more nuanced political debate. Candidates are forced to articulate their positions on a wider range of issues, rather than just focusing on a few hot-button topics. This leads to a more informed and engaged electorate, and ultimately to better policy outcomes.
Finally, ranked-choice voting promotes candidates who build consensus. In a system where candidates need to appeal to a majority of voters, rather than just a plurality, those who are able to find common ground and build bridges between different constituencies are more likely to succeed.
Overall, I believe that implementing ranked choice voting in Charlottesville would be a positive step for our community. I urge City Council to consider this proposal seriously and to take action this year to make it a reality starting in the 2025 election cycle.
Bob Gibson is a former Daily Progress writer and editor who later served as executive director of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia.
