Yesli Vega at a Prince William County Board of Supervisors meeting in September 2020. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)
Letter to the Editor
By Grace White, Woodbridge
July 8, 2022
Virginia 7th Congressional District Republicans nominated Yesli Vega when she got more votes than five other candidates. But she received only 29 percent of the vote. This means 71 percent of the voters were at least a little disappointed and demonstrates a flaw in how we usually count votes. When there are numerous candidates, receiving the most votes does not necessarily equate to a broad base of support.
In contrast, the 10th Congressional District Republican Committee used a “firehouse primary” and ranked-choice voting (RCV).
RCV allows voters to rank the candidates in order of preference. The first ballot count only considers first-choice votes. If no candidate receives a majority, the candidate with the least first-choice votes is eliminated and votes are recounted using second-choice votes in place of the eliminated candidate. Repeat elimination and recounting until one candidate achieves a majority.
For 10th Congressional District Republicans, ballot counting went nine rounds before Hung Cao won with 52 percent of the vote. Isn’t this how a democracy is supposed to function?
The General Assembly has authorized localities to use RCV in certain local elections. I urge the Prince William County Board of Supervisors to embrace this pilot program. It is a straightforward way to improve how ballots are cast, and it truly reflects the will of the voters.