Photo Credit: Getty Images / Unsplash+

In Virginia, the Charlottesville City Council on Tuesday voted to approve the use of ranked choice voting (RCV) for its June 2025 Council primaries. Former Charlottesville delegate Sally Hudson, who is now with Ranked Choice Virginia, praised the 4-1 vote.

"This step has been years in the making, and Charlottesville can be proud we’re doing our part to make democracy better for the long haul," she said.

Hudson authored HB 1103 in 2020, which authorized local municipalities to adopt RCV at their discretion. Arlington was the first city in Virginia to use RCV in 2020 and voted to use it again in June 2024. 

The Charlottesville officials who voted in favor of adoption were Mayor Juandiego Wade, Vice Mayor Brian Pinkston, and Councilors Natalie Oschrin and Michael Payne. The only objection came from Councilor Lloyd Snook.

The final passage of the RCV ordinance came after City Registrar Taylor Yowell recommended passage, stating that RCV "has been successfully adopted in various localities and states across the nation and has been shown by research to support more diverse candidate pools and improved civility in campaigns and elections."