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Virginia bills · 2026 Regular Session

Virginia SB 176

Elections; ranked choice voting, locally elected offices, report.

  1. Introduced
  2. In committee
  3. Passed Senate
  4. Passed House
  5. To Governor
  6. Became law

Sponsors

Cosponsors (6)

Summary

Official abstract published by the Virginia legislature· SUMMARY AS PASSED

Elections; conduct of election; ranked choice voting; locally elected offices; report. Expands the option to use ranked choice voting from only elections for county board of supervisors and city councils to any local governing body. The bill requires the State Board of Elections to provide standards and to approve vote tabulating software for use with existing voting systems in elections conducted by ranked choice voting. The bill provides for copying damaged or defective ballots that cannot be properly counted by electronic voting systems. The bill allows localities to request risk-limiting audits of elections conducted using ranked choice voting and provides that no such election may be included in any random drawing required to satisfy the general requirements for risk-limiting audits. The bill specifies that the State Board is required to produce generalized voter education materials on ranked choice voting and is also permitted to create and modify recount procedures to the extent necessary to accommodate a recount of an election. The bill directs the Department of Elections to review the testing and approval framework for voting equipment in the Commonwealth and submit a report of such review no later than the first day of the 2027 Regular Session of the General Assembly. Finally, the bill repeals the 2031 expiration of the option to use ranked choice voting in elections, making such option permanent. This bill is identical to HB 630.

Text versions

Roll-call votes

State vote data last updated Oct 16, 2026, 12:24 AM.

DateVoteResultYour legislators
Feb 25, 2026
House		H VOTE:passSet your home in Virginia to see
Feb 20, 2026
House		Reported from Privileges and ElectionspassSet your home in Virginia to see
Feb 2, 2026
Senate		Passage RpassSet your home in Virginia to see
Jan 29, 2026
Senate		Constitutional reading dispensed RpassSet your home in Virginia to see
Jan 27, 2026
Senate		Reported from Privileges and ElectionspassSet your home in Virginia to see

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