PRESS RELEASE: UpVote Virginia Applauds Legislation Making Ranked Choice Voting a Permanent Local Option, Urges Governor Spanberger to Sign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2026

Richmond, VA – UpVote Virginia applauds the Virginia General Assembly for passing legislation that will make ranked choice voting (RCV) a permanent option for local elections in the Commonwealth. The bills, HB630 (Callsen) and SB176 (VanValkenburg), now await consideration by Governor Abigail Spanberger.

These bills provide updates to the existing RCV pilot program originally passed in 2020 that allowed localities to adopt anked choice voting for city council and county board of supervisor elections. The bills also clarify that towns may opt to use RCV for town council elections.

Most importantly, the legislation removes the sunset on that pilot program, ensuring that Virginia localities will continue to have the option to adopt RCV going forward.

In addition, the legislation codifies best practices for administering RCV elections, including evaluating tabulation software, handling damaged ballots, and outlining options for risk-limiting audits. It also directs ELECT to develop a certification process for election technology beyond voting machines.

Importantly, this legislation does not mandate ranked choice voting, but rather offers it as an option for local governing bodies.

“All state-run RCV elections in Virginia have gone smoothly,” said Liz White, executive director of UpVote Virginia. “By making the program permanent and codifying best practices, this legislation ensures that any locality that wants to adopt ranked choice voting will have a clear and durable framework to do so.”

UpVote Virginia encourages Governor Spanberger to sign the legislation and continue supporting local choice and election innovation in the Commonwealth.

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About UpVote Virginia
UpVote Virginia is a nonpartisan organization advocating for ranked choice voting and reforms that give voters more voice and choice in elections.