Arlington voters next year will be able to select up to 10 candidates in ranked-choice elections, more than triple the number currently available.
New ballot scanners set to arrive in Arlington before this year’s Aug. 4 state primary allow for ranking up to 10 contenders. But existing ballot markers, used to assist voters with disabilities, will not be replaced until next year.
“Once these are upgraded, the scanners can accommodate additional rankings,” county elections director Gretchen Reinemeyer told ARLnow.
The new equipment’s upper limit of 10 candidates likely will accommodate all candidates for any future race for County Board, the only office in Arlington where ranked-choice currently can be used.
The 2024 general election saw four candidates, the 2025 general election five, but voters were limited to ranking their first three choices.
Democratic County Board primaries, which also use the ranked-choice process, frequently have more than current equipment allows voters to rank. This year, however, there are just three: James DeVita, Julie Farnam and incumbent Matt de Ferranti.
Next year is the one time in Arlington’s four-year election cycle when two County Board seats are on the ballot concurrently. Those two-seat years often see larger candidate fields both for the primary and general elections.
Other than being able to rank more candidates, voters should not see significant differences in the new ballot-scanning devices. Both the current and the new ones come from Unisyn Election Services.
Currently, Arlington is the only Virginia locality to have used the ranked-choice option for general elections. Charlottesville last year used the format for its City Council Democratic primary, and both Fairfax County and Falls Church have informally started to look at the option.
Arlington election officials anticipate just one congressional district: If Democrats have any hope of resurrecting new congressional districts approved by voters in April, it wasn’t evident at the May 12 Arlington Electoral Board meeting.
Discussion of the Aug. 4 primary races at the meeting centered only on the 8th Congressional District, rather than including the 7th District that would include Arlington if the new districts survive their May 8 elimination by the Virginia Supreme Court.
Democrats have appealed the court ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, although that is seen as an uphill battle. At least one Hail Mary-esque attempt at changing the court ruling, by removing all seven Virginia Supreme Court justices, was floated but seemed to have evaporated.
If the new district does get resurrected, Arlington would be split into the two congressional districts, with the northernmost 60% of the county moving to the 7th and the southernmost 40% staying in the 8th.
If the Virginia Supreme Court ruling sticks, all of the county will remain in the 8th, where it has been since 1992.
The Aug. 4 election also will include a Democratic County Board primary and the Republican U.S. Senate primary. Under Virginia election law, voters do not register by political party, and will be able to cast ballots in either the Democratic or Republican primary, but not both.
Election workers may be scarce for primary: Arlington typically has far more people available to work as election workers than it needs, even for presidential elections.
But that may not be the case for the next election.
“It is extremely difficult to staff an August primary,” county elections director Gretchen Reinemeyer said at the May 12 Electoral Board meeting.
Owing to the ongoing issue of congressional redistricting, the General Assembly earlier this year moved the state primary from its typical mid-June date to Aug. 4.
In Arlington, the elections office will run two primaries that day: a Democratic primary for County Board and U.S. House of Representatives and a Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
Electoral Board members on May 12 approved a new group of election officers for three-year terms. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
The work day for election officers is 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Pay levels start at $13.50 per hour.
Local officers of election do not need to live in Arlington, but must be registered to vote somewhere in Virginia. A training session is provided.
Depending on the size of the location and type of election, each of Virginia’s 54 precincts is assigned 5 to 13 officers of election, according to the county’s website.
Elections office wins two national awards: The Arlington Office of Voter Registration has won two Clearinghouse Awards — better known to insiders as “Clearies” — from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
The national honors, announced May 12, salute Arlington for its Election Night results validation and reporting process, and for a limited edition, Halloween-themed “I Voted” sticker distributed during the fall 2024 and 2025 election seasons.
A total of 46 awards were presented for 2025.
