Big changes are coming to the City of Charlottesville’s elections!
This June, for the first time ever, voters will use ranked choice voting to select candidates in the City Council primary. The League of Women Voters, in partnership with Ranked Choice Virginia, is offering several opportunities to learn more about this new method of voting.
In a ranked choice election, voters can rank all the candidates from most to least favorite: first choice, second choice, and so on. The ballots are then tallied in an instant runoff to find the top two winners with the most support from all the voters. If your favorite candidate doesn’t win, you can still help pick the winner with your backup choices, ensuring that more voters get a meaningful say in choosing their representation.
The voting public is invited to join any of three educational sessions to learn how ranked choice voting works, why it is used, and how it finds roots in Charlottesville’s long-running history of democracy reform. The sessions are free and will last one hour, with time for discussion.
Times and Locations:
- Thursday, March 27 at 5:30pm in the Carver Recreational Center’s classroom, located at 233 4th Street, NW, Charlottesville, VA 22902
- Sunday, April 6 at 3:00pm in the Central Library’s Swanson Room, located at 201 E. Market Street Charlottesville, VA 22902
- Wednesday, May 7 at 1:30pm online. Register in advance here