Partisan operatives on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors publicly snapped during a recent Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) presentation by foremost elections expert, Dr. Clara Belle Wheeler.
Democrat Scottsville Supervisor Mike Pruitt, appearing via video link, sneeringly impugned Dr. Wheeler’s methodical evaluation as “embarrassing” and a “nakedly partisan screed” in which he was “disappointed.”
Bea Kirtley, a Democrat serving as the County’s Rivanna Supervisor launched her own petty tirade toward Dr. Wheeler demeaning the slide-based dissertation as intentionally unfactual, “insulting” and “not what we asked for.”
Dr. Wheeler, a member of the Albemarle County Electoral Board (and former vice-chair of the Virginia State Board of Elections), appeared on WINA’s The Schilling Show to share her findings directly with the public—unencumbered by biased political provocateurs.
In her exclusive 45-minute interview (audio below), Dr. Wheeler answered questions from the listening public and reviewed her observations and concerns regarding Ranked Choice Voting, including:
- Lack of necessity or function in Albemarle County elections
- Process complexities
- Disenfranchisement of voters and candidates
- Contribution to public mistrust of elections
- Inability to report legally mandated precinct results
- Severely delayed outcomes reporting
Notably, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors in a series of meetings considered the adoption of RCV in the recent past and ultimately took no action.
While no specific proposal has been enacted, the Board appears likely to adopt Ranked Choice Voting before year’s end, following their Democrat counterparts in Charlottesville.
Hear Dr. Clara Belle Wheeler’s Ranked Choice Voting interview on The Schilling Show:
See Dr. Clara Belle Wheeler’s slide presentation to the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors:
