Ranked Choice Voting Focus Of Upcoming Reston Town Hall

RESTON, VA — A town hall on ranked choice voting is scheduled for Monday, May 11, at the North County Governmental Center in Reston, where residents will be able to learn about the voting method and share their views on how it could look in Fairfax County.

The meeting is set for 7 p.m. at 1801 Cameron Glen Drive. According to the announcement, ranked choice voting is becoming more common locally and nationally, with Arlington County, Washington, D.C., and New York City among more than 62 cities, counties and states using the system.

The event will feature two speakers. Gretchen Reinemeyer, Arlington County's director of elections, is expected to discuss how ranked choice voting works, voter feedback and lessons learned from Arlington's experience. Liz White, executive director of Up Vote Virginia, is also scheduled to speak. Up Vote Virginia is a nonpartisan organization focused on election systems, including ranked choice voting and campaign finance reform. A Fairfax County election official will also be in attendance.

The Virginia General Assembly recently made ranked choice voting a permanent option for city and county governing body elections. Localities were first authorized to use ranked choice voting in 2021, but that earlier legislation would have ended the option on July 1, 2031.

On April 22, Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed SB 176 into law, making ranked choice voting permanent and expanded it to town council elections. The new law requires the State Board of Elections to produce voter education materials on ranked choice voting and develop regulations for administering elections that use the method.

Related: Arlington Makes Ranked Choice Voting Permanent For Board Primaries

Arlington was the first county in Virginia to use ranked choice voting in government-administered elections for its board members. Arlington first used the method in its 2023 primaries, followed by the 2024 and 2025 general elections.

The Fairfax County Democratic Committee used ranked choice voting in its Oct. 4, 2025 fire house primary to determine who would be the party's candidate in the Braddock District supervisor's race.

Monday's town hall is being presented as an opportunity for Fairfax County residents to hear from election officials and a voting advocate while weighing in on the issue locally.