Action | Ranked Choice Voting Regulations and Ballot Standards |
Stage | Proposed |
Comment Period | Ended on 8/9/2021 |
The General Assembly enacted legislation in 2020 to allow localities to use a ranked choice voting (RCV) method for election of “county boards of supervisors and city councils,” Va. Code § 24.2-673.1. It further amended Va. Code § 15.2-705.1 to allow RCV as an option for the county manager form of government.
Numerous concerns have been raised about the necessity and benefits of the RCV voting process. The proposed Department of Election (ELECT) Regulations illustrate two of these concerns. First, the process is confusing for voters and complicated for election administration. Second, and perhaps most important at present, the RCV process lacks transparency and may compound the lack of confidence many voters have expressed in election administration. Third, the resources that ELECT and local election administrators expend in implementing this process detracts from efforts to facilitate voter registration and early and absentee voting, which are far more important goals. ELECT should focus on making voting easy and keeping vote counting simple – these proposed regulations do not advance those goals.
The proposed regulations discussed below illustrate some of the problems inherent in Ranked Choice Voting – the process is confusing and lacks transparency.
Thank you for your consideration.