FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 25, 2024

Democracy Shines Bright: City Invites Public to Name Holiday Tree with Ranked-Choice Voting Poll

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – As many of you may already be aware, next year, Charlottesville will use ranked choice voting to nominate candidates for City Council in the June primary election. This year, we’ve decided to implement ranked choice voting to name the holiday tree that will be lit at Grand Illumination to offer the community familiarity and practice using the process ahead of the City Council election next year.  

What is ranked choice voting? In a ranked choice election, people don't just vote for one candidate, they are given the opportunity to rank all the candidates in their order of preference: your 1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice, and so on. The ballots are then tallied in a run-off to determine the winner with broadest support. In each round, the candidate with the fewest votes gets eliminated, and their supporters' votes get transferred to their next choice. The elimination continues each round until a final winner is identified with the most votes from the most people. 

Why? Ranked choice voting helps communities build consensus when there are several different options. Even if your favorite doesn't win, you can still help pick the winner with your backup choices. Charlottesville is the second community in Virginia to adopt ranked choice voting. Arlington has been using ranked choice voting to elect its County Board since 2023. 

Join us in a practice round by using ranked choice voting for the Grand Illumination tree! Click HERE (link) to cast your votes.

A winner will be announced on Monday, December 2nd.

About the 27th Grand Illumination: 
The 27th annual Grand Illumination will take place on Friday, December 6th from 5-8 PM at Ting Pavilion on the Downtown Mall. Presented by the City of Charlottesville and UVA Community Credit Union, this free holiday event is fun for all ages. Beginning at 5 PM, you can enjoy tasty beverages and treats from the Holiday Market and Charlottesville Ale Trail. The whole family can play games, win prizes, and collect cool giveaways at City Hall Plaza, and don’t forget special photo ops with Santa Claus and fan-favorites from Character Connections. 

For more information, please visit cvillegrand.com or follow us on Facebook.

Media Contact:
Afton Schneider
Director of Communications & Public Engagement
City of Charlottesville
434-996-0331
media@charlottesville.gov