Proposals to build more housing in Green Valley and a new restaurant and gas station in Claremont are slated for County Board consideration this weekend.
Potential sidewalk improvements to S. Carlin Springs Road and a reduction in the number of early voting sites are also on the agenda for the Saturday meeting.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has vetoed legislation that would have allowed Arlington County to change the structure of its government for the first time in 93 years.
Del. Patrick Hope (D-Arlington), who sponsored the bill, has vowed to continue fighting for the change that passed both chambers of the General Assembly. Locally, the legislation has the backing of the Arlington County Civic Federation but lacks support from the Arlington County Board.
The hunt is on for the next generation of Arlington voting equipment. When voters will be able to use it, though, is an open-ended question.
The three members of the Arlington Electoral Board will start the procurement process by meeting with prospective vendors at the annual gathering of the Virginia Electoral Boards Association, to be held March 23-25 at The Homestead.
Falls Church officials appear willing to hold off, for now, on moving City Council elections to a ranked-choice format.
“It might be better to wait,” city elections director David Bjerke said at a Monday Falls Church Electoral Board meeting.
Ranked-choice voting, a climate resolution, the contentious Melwood development proposal and the draft Fiscal Year 2026 county budget are all on the agenda for a County Board meeting slated for Saturday (Feb. 22).
Among the highlights:
The Arlington Electoral Board believes three, rather than four, early-voting locations should be fine for June’s primary election.
Board members voted 3-0 Tuesday (Feb. 4) to ask County Board members to consider removing Long Bridge Aquatics & Fitness Center from the list of early-voting sites for the primary.
Arlington public opinion continues to be divided on the future of ranked-choice voting.
By one measure, that split is nearly right down the middle.
Changes to Arlington voting equipment could increase the number of candidates voters are able to rank.
Arlington voters are currently able to rank only three candidates when participating in ranked-choice voting. However, planned upgrades to voting systems would raise that number to at least five.
The future of ranked-choice voting in Arlington’s general elections remains undecided as officials await a report on public attitudes.
The Arlington County Board expects to receive said report at a Tuesday, Jan. 28 meeting. The results “will give us a lot to think about,” Board Chair Takis Karantonis, who has seen some of the data, said at an Arlington County Civic Federation meeting last week.
By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Virginia House of Delegates passed resolutions on Tuesday enshrining rights to abortion, voting and marriage equality in a critical step for Democrats hoping to amend the state’s constitution next year.
Is 2025 the year Falls Church follows neighboring Arlington in enacting ranked-choice voting to elect its governing body?
It’s a question that will be answered in coming months by the seven-member City Council, whose members will have to address both logistical and philosophical issues before coming to a decision and setting the timetable.
By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democrats who control both chambers of the Virginia legislature are hoping to make good on promises made on the campaign trail, including becoming the first Southern state to expand constitutional protections for abortion access.
