Arlington Election Day Guide: County Board, School Board Races And 8 Ballot Questions

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County voters will head to the polls Tuesday to choose their representatives in Congress, a County Board member, a School Board member and a county treasurer in the Nov. 3 general election. They will also decide five bond referendums totaling more than $264 million and three proposed amendments to the Virginia Constitution.

Early voting ended Saturday, Oct. 31, but voters will have one final chance to vote on Election Day. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, and anyone in line by 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

The county ballot includes three candidates for one County Board seat, two for School Board, and two for treasurer. Arlington will use ranked-choice voting in the County Board election.

U.S. Senate

Democratic incumbent Sen. Mark Warner is seeking another term against Republican Bert Mizusawa, who won the Republican nomination in the Aug. 4 primary.

The candidates appearing on Arlington's ballot are:

• Mark Warner — Democrat
• Bert Mizusawa — Republican

8th Congressional District

Arlington County is part of Virginia's 8th Congressional District.

Democratic incumbent Rep. Don Beyer is seeking another term after winning the Democratic primary in August. He faces Republican Tony Sabio, Libertarian Shelly Arnoldi and independent Tim Sharman in the general election.

The candidates are:

• Donald S. Beyer Jr. — Democrat
• Tony A. Sabio — Republican
  • Read Sabio's answers to Patch's candidate questionnaire.
• Shelly M. Arnoldi — Libertarian
  • Read Arnoldi's answers to Patch's candidate questionnaire.
• Tim S. Sharman — Independent
  • Read Sharman's answers to Patch's candidate questionnaire.

Beyer defeated four challengers — Michael Duffin, Adam Dunigan, Mo Seifeldein and Lorena Thorne Bruner — in the Democratic primary. Sabio secured the Republican nomination before the primary.

Arlington County Board

Three candidates are competing for one at-large seat on the Arlington County Board.

The candidates are:

• Matthew D. "Matt" de Ferranti — Democrat
• Audrey R. Clement — Independent
• David P. Sisson — Independent

Arlington will use ranked-choice voting for the County Board race. Voters can rank candidates in order of preference rather than selecting only one.

If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and ballots for that candidate are transferred to voters' next-ranked choices. The process continues until a candidate receives a majority of the remaining votes.

Arlington County Treasurer

Two candidates are competing in a special election for county treasurer. The winner will serve the remainder of a term ending Dec. 31, 2027.

The candidates are:

• Kim M. Rucker
• Aasim S. Rawoot

Arlington School Board

Two candidates are running for one seat on the Arlington School Board.

The candidates are:

• Bethany Zecher Sutton
• James Vell Rives IV

Five Bond Referendums

Arlington voters will decide five separate bond referendums totaling $264.26 million. Each question asks whether the county should be authorized to borrow money for specific capital improvement projects.

Metro And Transportation — $69,745,000

A yes vote would authorize Arlington County to borrow up to $69.7 million for Metro improvements and other transportation projects, including road paving, public transit, pedestrian improvements, street lighting and traffic signals.

A no vote would reject the proposed borrowing.

Local Parks And Recreation — $34,945,000

A yes vote would authorize the county to borrow up to $34.9 million to improve local parks and recreation facilities.

A no vote would reject the proposed borrowing.

Community Infrastructure — $58,825,000

A yes vote would authorize the county to borrow up to $58.8 million for capital projects, including repairs to county buildings, construction and design of facilities, technology improvements and neighborhood infrastructure projects.

A no vote would reject the proposed borrowing.

Utilities — $20,745,000

A yes vote would authorize the county to borrow up to $20.7 million to improve water and sewer infrastructure and the county's wastewater treatment facilities.

A no vote would reject the proposed borrowing.

Arlington Public Schools — $80,000,000

A yes vote would authorize the county to borrow up to $80 million for school construction, renovation and other capital improvement projects.

A no vote would reject the proposed borrowing.

For all five questions, Arlington County would be required to repay the borrowed money with interest. Rejecting a bond proposal would not necessarily stop the projects, but the county would need to find other funding sources.

Three Constitutional Amendments

Arlington voters will also decide three proposed amendments to the Virginia Constitution. Each will appear as a separate ballot question.

The proposals concern reproductive rights, marriage equality and restoration of voting rights for people convicted of felonies.

Question 1: Reproductive Freedom

Question 1 concerns reproductive rights, including decisions about pregnancy, childbirth, contraception, abortion and fertility care.

A yes vote would establish constitutional protections for those decisions, subject to specified restrictions and exceptions. A no vote would leave the Virginia Constitution unchanged.

Question 2: Marriage Equality

Question 2 would remove the Virginia Constitution's existing prohibition on same-sex marriage and establish protections for marriage regardless of sex, gender or race.

A yes vote would approve the amendment. A no vote would retain the existing constitutional language, although same-sex marriage would remain legal under current federal constitutional protections.

Question 3: Restoration Of Voting Rights

Question 3 would change how voting rights are restored to people convicted of felonies.

A yes vote would automatically restore voting rights upon release from incarceration. A no vote would keep the existing system that requires restoration of rights.

Voting On Election Day

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voters in line by 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

Arlington County has 54 Election Day polling places. Unlike early voting, when residents could vote at any county early voting site, voters must cast their ballots at their assigned precinct on Election Day.

Residents can find their polling places through the Virginia Department of Elections voter information portal.

Early in-person voting ended Saturday, Oct. 31. The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail was Oct. 23.

Voters who have already received absentee ballots can return them to an Arlington County ballot drop box until 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Election officials must receive completed absentee ballots returned in person by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by noon on Friday, Nov. 6.

Virginia allows eligible residents who missed the Oct. 23 regular registration deadline to register through Election Day and cast a provisional ballot.

Voters can check their registration status through the Virginia Department of Elections Citizen Portal.

Arlington voters can also review the county's official sample ballot and election information before heading to the polls.