With Election Day 2026 in the rear view mirror, Fairfax County officials are preparing for the next cycle, proposing several changes to voting precincts that could take effect in 2027.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on Dec. 8 to gather feedback on staff recommendations that would create two new voting precincts, relocate polling places for three others, and adjust some boundaries to improve accessibility.
The hearing was authorized at the board’s Oct. 27 meeting with only a brief discussion to correct a misspelling of “Centreville Road” as “Centerville” in a description of one of the proposed Sully District changes.
New precincts proposed
Among the proposed amendments are the creation of “Reston #4” and “Coppermine” precincts to reduce crowding in existing precincts that have exceeded the limit of 5,000 registered voters allowed by state law.
Carving out parts of the Cameron Glen and Reston #1 precincts, which currently have 5,484 and 5,445 registered voters, respectively, Reston #4 would use the Reston Teen Center at 12196 Sunset Hills Road as a polling place. It’s expected to cover approximately 2,449 voters, according to a county staff memo.
Cameron Glen would lose 2,021 voters, while Reston #1 would be reduced by 428 voters. Both precincts would maintain their current polling places of the North County Human Services Building and Lake Anne Elementary School.
According to Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn’s office, the addition of the Reston #4 precinct was originally scheduled to be reviewed in June 2025, but its consideration was delayed by the special election to fill the late Rep. Gerry Connolly’s seat in Congress.
“Because these precincts are located within the 11th Congressional District, the state-required review period for the proposed changes would not have left election officials sufficient time to print ballots for the special election,” Alcorn’s office said in a press release.
The new Coppermine precinct in the Dranesville District would be created out of the southern half of the Coates precinct, which currently covers more than 7,500 voters, county staff said. Located in the McNair area south of Herndon, the precinct would use the Floris United Methodist Church (13600 Frying Pan Road) as its polling place.
“The new precinct will reduce the size of Coates precinct by approximately 2,200 voters,” the staff memo says. “The polling place for Coates voters will remain at Coates Elementary School.”
According to county staff, establishing a new precinct carries an estimated one-time cost of $29,653, along with annual recurring costs of $9,224.
Boundary and polling place changes on the table
In the Mason District, county staff recommend relocating the Skyline precinct’s polling place from the Minnie H. Peyton Community Center in Bailey’s Crossroads to the Arlington Moose Lodge #1315 at 5710 Scoville Street.
In addition to giving Skyline voters a polling place closer to their precinct’s boundaries, the move would leave the community center as a polling place for just one precinct (Bailey’s), “relieving parking congestion, and providing more flexibility at the center for choosing a voting room location,” staff said.
The county is also planning to restore Culmore Community Library (6101 Knollwood Drive) as the polling place for the Holmes precinct. The site was relocated to Bailey’s Elementary School this year to accommodate an extended closure of the library for HVAC repairs, which are expected to be completed in early 2027.
Over in the Providence District, a proposed boundary adjustment would shift approximately 460 voters from Tysons to the Jones Branch precinct, because they live within walking distance of the latter’s polling place at the Providence Committee Meeting Room (7921 Jones Branch Drive).
Meanwhile, the Tysons precinct’s polling place would move to Boro Station at 1775 Greensboro Station Place, replacing The PARC at Tysons after the community events venue closed at the end of June.
Finally, staff recommend tweaking the boundary between the Green Trails and Old Mill precincts in Centreville, a change that would affect 27 voters:
This small section of Green Trails precinct was created after the decennial redistricting in 2010. Relocating these 27 voters to Old Mill is expected to improve accessibility because these voters live closer to the Old Mill polling place, Centreville United Methodist Church, than to the Green Trails polling place, Centreville Elementary School. Additionally, the widening of Sully Road (Route 28) to six lanes and the installation of sound barrier walls … now impede access to Centreville Elementary School for these voters.
If the Board of Supervisors approves an ordinance implementing the proposed precinct changes after the Dec. 8 public hearing, the amendment would still need to be reviewed by the Virginia attorney general, who must issue a Certification of No Objection in order for the revisions to take effect.
The attorney general’s review process could take up to 60 days to complete.
