Fairfax County Democrats Use Ranked Choice Voting in Braddock District Primary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 2025
Contact: Liz White
FAIRFAX, VA – The Fairfax County Democratic Committee successfully conducted its first Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) election for a public office primary today, using RCV to select their nominee for the Braddock District Supervisor seat. Rachna Sizemore Heizer won the nomination on the first round of tabulation with 60% of the vote, meaning that the subsequent rounds of voting were unnecessary, but demonstrating how RCV ensures winners have true majority support.
The final results were announced Sunday evening following a brief delay caused by high voter turnout that exceeded the capacity of the third-party software platform used for ballot collection. UpVote Virginia emphasizes that the delay was unrelated to Ranked Choice Voting itself — RCV tabulation ran smoothly once the initial ballot collection was complete.
UpVote Virginia volunteers were present at all polling locations throughout the weekend, educating voters about RCV, answering questions, and collecting petition signatures from voters encouraging elected leaders in Fairfax County and the General Assembly to move forward with RCV legislation and implementation.
“This was ultimately a great weekend for democracy in Fairfax County," said UpVote Virginia Executive Director Liz White. "Ranked Choice Voting allows voters to express their true preferences and ensures that winners reflect the will of the majority. Our volunteers were out in force this weekend, educating voters and showing that grassroots organizing can make real change happen. And despite the unrelated software hiccup, we saw firsthand that the more voters use RCV, the more they like it. This weekend was no exception."
Adam King, leader of UpVote's Fairfax Local Action Group, who volunteered at the Government Center, reported strong voter enthusiasm for the new system. "Voters at the Government Center found ranked ballots easy to use and understood the process well," King said. "The technical issues that extended voting had nothing to do with RCV itself — the RCV tabulation worked exactly as it should."
UpVote Virginia Programs Director Tamara Allen spoke to voters at the Landings Community Center. "Despite technical challenges at the Landings Community Center, voters remained enthusiastic about using Ranked Choice Voting," Allen said. "People waiting in long lines still wanted to cast their ranked ballots. That tells you something powerful about how much voters value having more choice in their elections."
The primary was held to select the Democratic nominee to replace James Walkinshaw, who was recently elected to Congress.
Since 2020, Virginia law has allowed localities to adopt RCV for city council or board of supervisors races, with Arlington and Charlottesville having already implemented successful RCV pilot programs.
Ranked Choice Voting allows voters to rank candidates they like in order of preference, helping ensure winners better reflect the will of the majority while reducing vote-splitting and "spoiler" effects. Studies show RCV promotes more diverse representation, encourages civil campaigning, and increases voter participation.
This success builds on Virginia's bipartisan support for RCV. Both major parties in Virginia have embraced RCV in recent years, with the Republican Party of Virginia using it at its statewide nominating convention in 2021 and in several GOP congressional primaries, while Democratic committees have used it in local primary contests and Democratic-led General Assembly chambers have passed RCV legislation in recent years.
"We hope this successful primary will lead to further RCV implementation in Fairfax County," White added. "UpVote Virginia continues working to expand RCV adoption in other localities across the Commonwealth, including Fredericksburg, Norfolk, and Richmond, which are considering similar initiatives. We encourage other local party committees and local governing bodies across Virginia to follow Fairfax's lead in supporting this proven electoral reform that puts voters first."
UpVote Virginia is a registered 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization dedicated to elevating the voices of Virginia voters through nonpartisan education, advocacy, and grassroots engagement. As a democracy reform collective, UpVote Virginia will focus on multiple issues related to making our elections stronger and more equitable, including its first flagship issue: Ranked Choice Voting. Learn more at UpVoteVA.org.
