It’s Election Day: Where, how, and when to vote in Fairfax County

Today is a big election day for Virginia and Fairfax County, with the eyes of the nation on the Commonwealth as voters select a new governor and other state leaders.

Polls opened at 6 a.m. this morning and will close at 7 p.m. at 247 precincts across the county.

What’s on the Ballot

Voters will determine the state’s next governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general as well as all 100 delegates in the General Assembly. Fairfax County also has a school bond referendum.

Governor

• Terry McAuliffe (D)
• Glenn Youngkin (R)

Polls suggest a tight contest between McAuliffe and Youngkin, with a final survey by the marketing research firm Trafalger Group giving the Republican a very slight lead.

Lieutenant Governor

• Hala Ayala (D)
• Winsome Sears (R)

No matter who is elected, the winner will make history as the first woman of color to hold the second-highest office in the Commonwealth.

Attorney General

• Mark Herring (D)
• Jason Miyares (R)

Herring is vying for a third term, while Miyares could become the first Latino to hold the post in Virginia.

General Assembly

All 100 seats in Virginia’s House of Delegates are up for election, giving Republicans a chance to wrest control of the legislative chamber back from the Democrats.

In races covered by FFXnow sister sites Reston Now and Tysons Reporter, long-time incumbent Ken Plum (D) is being challenged by Matt Lang (R) to represent Reston in the 36th District. At one point this summer, Lang was outraising Plum, but that seems to no longer be the case.

In the 86th District, which runs from Chantilly through Herndon to Route 7, Irene Shin (D) is taking on Julie Perry (R) after ousting incumbent Ibraheem Samirah by just 230 votes in June. Perry is a high school history teacher who was accused of making anti-transgender remarks earlier this fall.

Incumbent Kathleen Murphy (D), first elected in 2015, is again being challenged by Gary Pan (R) in the 34th District, which contains Wolf Trap, Great Falls, McLean, and part of Loudoun County. This is a rematch from 2019, when Murphy won with about 58% of the vote.

While the 48th District is primarily in Arlington, it also includes southern McLean. There, incumbent Rip Sullivan (D) is being challenged for the first time since he was elected in 2014 by Republican nominee Edward Monroe (R).

Del. Mark Keam (D) is facing his first challenge in several years for the 35th District, including Vienna and part of Tysons. Republican nominee Kevin McGrath used to work for the CIA.

For City of Falls Church voters, the choice for the 53rd District’s next delegate comes between incumbent Marcus Simon (D) and restaurant manager Sarah White (R).

Other Fairfax County delegate races include:

• District 37: David Bulova (D), Kenny Meteiver (R)
• District 38: Kaye Kory (D), Tom Pafford (R)
• District 39: Vivian Watts (D), Maureen Brody (R)
• District 40: Dan Helmer (D), Harold Pyon (R)
• District 41: Eileen Filler-Corn (D), John Wolfe (R)
• District 42: Kathy Tran (D), Edward McGovern (R)
• District 43: Mark Sickles (D), Brenton Hammond (R)
• District 44: Paul Krizek (D), Richard Hayden (R)
• District 45: Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D), Justin Maddox (R)
• District 49: Alfonso Lopez (D), Timothy Kilcullen (R), Terry Modglin (I)
• District 67: Karrie Delaney (D), Bob Frizzelle (R)

A $360 million school bond is also on the ballot in Fairfax County. If voters approve it, the money will go towards the renovations of more than a dozen schools.

How to Vote

Go to the Virginia Department of Elections website to look up your polling place and a sample ballot. Voters must present an accepted form of identification, though photo proof is no longer required.

ExpressVote, a touchscreen system that the county has used for early voting since 2014, is available for those with disabilities but not for the general public today, Fairfax County Office of Elections spokesperson Brian Worthy says.

Masks are still required for voters and staff at polling places. However, those who are not wearing masks will still be able to vote, Worthy confirms.

The polls could seem less crowded today than previous years due to the increase in early voting, which kicked off on Sept. 17 and concluded on Saturday (Oct 30).

About 165,000 votes were cast early by mail or in-person, according to Worthy. That’s approximately 22.5% of the 730,000 active voters in Fairfax County.

It’s a high rate of early voting, Worthy says, though the county is still expecting turnout overall to be about 50% as initially predicted in September. The county elections office is preparing, however, for a potential turnout of 75%.

In 2017, Virginia’s last gubernatorial election, voter turnout was approximately 56%.