The move brings the Northern Virginia suburb’s experiment with the increasingly popular voting system to a halt for now.
Much like many county residents themselves, candidates had taken divergent stances on whether this “missing middle” housing effort was a positive or negative development for the county. Cunningham and third-place finisher Natalie Roy had criticized the zoning change, while Coffey and the other three primary candidates spoke up in its favor.Otis said a traditional “first-past-the-post” election could have resulted in two critics or two proponents of “missing middle” winning the primary.
Some expressed confusion as to why Roy, who came in second among first-choice votes, did not win the election. Others questioned why voters did not get two votes in a race for two seats. And others still said outreach to voters was lacking more generally. Otis, of FairVote, acknowledged that part of the issue was Arlington’s outdated voting machines, which only allowed voters to rank their first three choices. County board members noted that few voters seemed to have trouble with the act of ranking candidates on their ballot. Yet more needed to be done to educate voters on the “single transferrable vote” system, they said.
“I have heard a lot from voters who belong to minority groups that they really didn’t understand the process,” County Board member Takis Karantonis said.$50,000 for an outreach and education campaign, but the effort never went forward and the money was not spent. Most of the state’s materials did not go into detail about single transferrable vote.
The voting method used in November is not expected to affect the outcome in Arlington, where the Democratic primary is often tantamount to the general election. Just one person in the last 30 years has won a seat on the board without the party’s endorsement.But some critics said the switch back to traditional voting is an attempt to stifle the voices of those who disagree with the local Democratic Party.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Former Dallas, Arlington Chief of Police David Kunkle diesFormer Dallas Chief of Police David Kunkle has died at the age of 72, his family confirms.
Read more »
Ranked-choice voting worked as intended, but Arlington may hit pause anywayArlington became the first locality in Virginia to use ranked-choice voting in a public election. Local lawmakers will vote on whether to keep using the system.
Read more »
Arlington Heights man helps capture 19-foot Burmese python -- a Florida recordArlington Heights resident Andrew Sokolowski is destined to become something of a legend in Florida. He and his buddies recently wrangled a 19-foot-long Burmese python -- the longest ever captured in that state, according to the Naples-based Conservancy of Southwest Florida.
Read more »
Virginia’s Youngkin surpasses previous governors’ annual fundraising records in a single quarterRepublican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s main fundraising apparatus will soon report raising $5.75 million in this year’s second quarter, a sum that surpasses what any previous governor of the state has raised over an entire year, according to the group’s accounting.
Read more »
Virginia McCaskey, Steve McMichael Hall of Fame semifinalistsChicago Bears owner Virginia McCaskey and former Bears defensive lineman Steve McMichael were among the 60 semifinalists announced Wednesday for the 2024 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Read more »