More than 60% of registered voters in Fairfax County have cast a ballot so far in this year’s general election.
As of 12:30 p.m., 18.7% of voters have cast a ballot on Election Day since polls opened at 6 a.m. today. Combined with the 43% of voters who participated in early voting or sent in an absentee ballot by mail, the county has seen a total turnout of 61.7%, the Fairfax County Office of Elections reported.
With polls open until 7 p.m., it remains to be seen whether this year will match the 79.4% turnout rate for the 2020 general election, the last one with a presidential race on the ballot. That year, about 54% of the turnout came from in-person and mail absentee voting.
The 605,023 votes cast in the race between then-president Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden set a record for Fairfax County, though the 82.5% turnout seen in 2016 remains the highest in an election.
As of 12:30 p.m., 18.7% of registered voters have cast a ballot today.
With ballots cast before #ElectionDay included, 61.7% of registered voters have voted.
Polls are open until 7 p.m. #Vote at your assigned precinct. More info: https://t.co/fVKrE9X5Zg pic.twitter.com/B57Wq17Rbu
— Fairfax County Votes (@fairfaxvotes) November 5, 2024
Though concerns about election-related violence prompted some states around the U.S. to beef up security and put law enforcement and the National Guard on alert, voting has mostly run smoothly today aside from some scattered reports of technical issues and weather-related delays, the Associated Press reports.
According to media reports, the Virginia Department of Elections stopped removing voters flagged as “noncitizens” shortly after the Justice Department and civil rights groups filed lawsuits against Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s voter removal policy, arguing that it violates the National Voter Registration Act.
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling along party lines on Oct. 30 allowing the voter removals to resume, but Virginia Elections Commissioner Susan Beals said today that no names have been dropped from the voter rolls since Oct. 14. About 1,600 people, including some confirmed U.S. citizens, were affected by the purge.
Over in neighboring Alexandria City, people claiming to be volunteers for Jerry Torres, a Republican candidate challenging Rep. Don Beyer for Virginia’s 8th Congressional District seat, reportedly distributed fake Democratic sample ballots. Torres denied that the individuals had any connection to his campaign.
In addition to determining whether Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris will be the next U.S. president, Fairfax County voters are weighing in on races for Senate and the 8th, 10th and 11th Congressional districts. Herndon voters also have mayoral and town council races on the ballot.
