Arjoon Srikanth

My name is Arjoon Srikanth, and I’m a software engineer and homeowner living in the heart of Ballston. My story begins with my parents, Srikanth and Swapnali, who met while pursuing graduate degrees at Georgia Tech. Despite both hailing from India, they came from different states — spelling a likely doom for their budding love. They fought hard to marry each other despite the protests of others, and their determination and fortitude in the face of adversity impressed on me the most important lesson of my life: you must be unflinching in the pursuit of what is right.

The limited supply of housing in Arlington and the rest of Northern Virginia has led to skyrocketing home prices. Seniors, families, and young people find that they can no longer afford to live and raise their families in the communities that they call home. We need to increase the supply of housing.

From ICE raids, to disappearing immigrants who are here legally, to the “investigation” of Arlington Public Schools, to the illegal firings of tens of thousands of our federal workers — our communities are under attack. Virginians are facing an authoritarian regime in Washington, DC intent on testing the limits of our Constitution. Our General Assembly must be prepared to fight back for all Virginians.

The current presidential administration is attacking federal workers and contractors in an unprecedented fashion. Arlington has one of the highest proportions of federal workers in the country, and our economy and our people's lives have already been severely impacted by these illegal firings. Virginia’s General Assembly must act swiftly to support the over 400,000 federal employees in our Commonwealth and prevent an economic catastrophe.

Virginia’s energy market is predominantly operated by a monopoly granted to Dominion Energy 100 years ago. This monopoly extends to both energy generation and distribution. In 2025, we are dealing with the consequences of this decision as our Commonwealth lags behind other states in the production of renewable energy. We need to build more clean energy infrastructure.

Virginia should be the best place in the world to start a business, whether that’s a laundromat, software company, or a restaurant. I am focused on passing legislation to make sure every Virginian has a fair chance to succeed and to keep our Commonwealth competitive in the ever-changing economy of the 21st century.

For too long, residents of communities like Arlington County have been waiting on the General Assembly to address their local issues. From banning gas-powered leaf blowers to expanding our County Board, each legislative session Arlingtonians wait with bated breath and are constantly disappointed when our concerns are sidestepped and die in committee. As delegate, I promise to enact Home Rule for Virginia localities to give us the power to fix issues specific to our communities.

Virginia is the last state in the south without an extreme abortion ban. I will fight to enshrine abortion rights into the state’s constitution. I will also fight to protect people who access reproductive healthcare from extradition by the federal government. I believe that every Virginian should have access to healthcare whenever they need it; this is why I propose implementing in our Commonwealth a system of Universal Catastrophic Coverage.

Arlington Public Schools are currently rated second best in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and ranked the number one school district for teachers. Clearly, we are doing something right in our County. As delegate, I promise to fight any attempts to erode the high educational standards in our public schools and I will prevent the Commonwealth government from interfering in local affairs.

Virginians of all stripes acknowledge a structural issue with our General Assembly: our legislative session is too short. Alternating 60 and 30 day annual sessions may have been sufficient for the Virginia of 1971, but in the year 2025, the short session leads to unreasonably quick deliberation on major legislation that affects some 8.7 million souls. In fact, since the year 2000, 16 of 24 legislative sessions have required an additional special session to pass needed legislation.

Arlington County is consistently ranked as one of the safest places to live in the country, and we are very proud of it. Unfortunately, we have seen some troubling trends arise in recent years; for example, property crimes in Arlington have increased consistently every year since 2022. Virginians should be able to cross the street, ride the metro, and relax at home without worrying about their safety. As your delegate, I will always stand by victims of crime, stand up for the civil rights of our incarcerated, and support proven policies to help keep our communities safe.

Arlingtonians love how transit-accessible our county is. As delegate, I will always maintain Commonwealth funding for WMATA and ART. I promise to support the expansion of public transit to reduce traffic on our streets and make every corner of our county easily reachable without a personal vehicle. I will also fight to ensure that our public transit is safe, orderly and clean for riders of all ages to enjoy.