Virginia’s elections could look different in the near future

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Ranked-choice voting has already been adopted by states like Alaska and Maine. Now, Delegate Sally Hudson is sharing how this style of voting could possibly help with Virginia’s 2023 elections.

“Ranked-choice delivers of both unity and diversity, which I think is really what we’re struggling with as a democracy,” Del. Hudson said. “It’s something that we naturally do in all sorts of settings, with an example being when you rank your favorite ice cream flavors.”

An ordered list of preferences - instead of a choice of one candidate - is now being considered for the ballot box.

“A ranked-choice ballot lets you share how you feel about all the candidates in the order that you like them. So, even if your favorite candidate doesn’t happen to be popular among your peers, you can still have your voice heard in the final column,” Del. Hudson said.

Hudson says she made a push to bring this to Virginia in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic put those plans to a halt.

While election administrators had a lot of other things on their hands back then, with a renewed push, Hudson says she hopes this change will soon help everybody’s voice be heard.

“It means more people stay engaged and have to be in conversation with people who hold more mainstream views,” Del. Hudson said.

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