Gov. Youngkin vetoes ranked choice voting bill

Still, RCV set to be used for June Charlottesville City Council primary.

Sally Hudsons advocating for rank choice voting before Charlottesville City Council in August 2024.

Among the numerous bills Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed yesterday, including ones that would have raised the minimum wage, restricted carrying assault rifles in public, lowered prescription drug cost, and establish a retail marijuana market, he also vetoed legislation that would have improved the use of ranked choice voting. Curiously, the bill included recommendations from a report issued by the administration's own Department of Elections in November 2023, and is simply designed to provide guidance to localities already using the voting system.

And ironically, Virginia's Republican Party used ranked choice voting to nominate Youngkin at a state convention in 2021. He won 55 percent of the vote after six rounds of counting. According to analysts, an ordinary primary might have favored state Senator Amanda Chase, who was more closely tied to Trump, as ranked choice voting tends …