elections

Countywide

Former DOJ prosecutor seeks to unseat Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
Professional woman in a black blazer, smiling, with bookshelves in the background.
Brittany Dunn-Pirio (courtesy Friends of Brittany Dunn-Pirio)

Former state and federal prosecutor Brittany Dunn-Pirio announced today that she will challenge Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano for the Democratic nomination in the June 2027 primary election.

Dunn-Pirio, a resident of the Vienna area, says she’s a “lifelong Democrat” who wants to reform the office. According to her website, her platform “centers on standing up for seniors and survivors, expanding access to treatment, protecting the right to a fair trial, and above all, restoring competence Fairfax can trust.”

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Countywide

What to expect as early voting for the 2026 election kicks off Friday in Fairfax

By Mary Stachyra Lopez
"I voted" logos on a voting booth (Staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

As Democrats attempt to flip control of Congress from the current Republican majority, all eyes will be on national races, but the Nov. 3 election will also give Fairfax County voters a number of questions with local and state implications to consider.

Early in-person voting will kick off countywide tomorrow (Sept. 18) for seats in the House and Senate as well as local issues regarding funding for parks and health and human services projects. In addition, voters will be asked to vote on three constitutional amendments addressing abortion, gay marriage, and voting rights.

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News

Del Aguila: Experience needed on Herndon Town Council to tackle upcoming challenges

By Angela Woolsey
Close-up portrait of a smiling man in a white collared shirt, indoors near a window with outdoor cafe seating visible behind him, looking at the camera.
Herndon Town Councilmember Cesar del Aguila (courtesy Cesar del Aguila)

Herndon Town Council member Cesar del Aguila has become a campaigning veteran with four terms under his belt, but his bid for a fifth might be the most competitive race yet.

Twelve people are vying for the council’s six seats in the upcoming Nov. 3 election, including five incumbents and a slate of young, progressive-minded newcomers seeking to shake up the town’s status quo.

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News

Candidates for Virginia’s 8th District offer mixed views on tackling AI, data centers

By Scott McCaffrey
Two men in suits sit at a panel table, with a microphone between them; left man has gray hair and blue tie, right man is bald with glasses and a red tie.
8th District U.S. House of Representatives candidates Don Beyer and Tony Sabio (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) and his three challengers expressed wariness of data centers and artificial intelligence in a recent debate that kicked off the eight-week sprint to Election Day.

But several of the contenders also warned against rushed efforts to corral the emerging technology at the expense of the good it could provide.

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News

Herndon planning commissioner builds on public service past for town council bid

By Angela Woolsey
Smiling woman with arms crossed in a dark button-down shirt against a neutral backdrop, looking at the camera.
Meron Yohannes (courtesy Friends of Meron)

The vice chair of the Herndon Planning Commission wants to make the jump to the Herndon Town Council this November.

A Herndon native, Meron Yohannes is hopeful that her lifelong personal connection to the town and past public service experience at both the local and federal level will distinguish her in a crowded field with 12 candidates vying for six seats.

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News

Supervisor Storck seeks funding for two more 24-hour ballot drop boxes

By Scott McCaffrey
A ballot dropbox at the Fairfax County Government Center (staff photo by James Cullum)

A Fairfax County supervisor is pressing his colleagues to add funding for additional ballot drop boxes to support future elections.

Currently, the county operates a single permanent voter dropbox at the Fairfax County Government Center, for a community of about 1.1 million people spread across approximately 400 square miles.

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News

Herndon Town Council candidate hopes to help community realize full potential

By Angela Woolsey
Selfie of a woman in a pink hijab smiling in a park with a red decorated train/float in the background.
Yasmin Shafiq in front of Herndon's caboose (courtesy Yasmin for Herndon)

Community service has been central to Yasmin Shafiq’s life for as long as she can remember, from her high school stint as a teen representative on the Reston Community Center’s Board of Governors to her current commitments as a county government worker and an election officer.

A resident of the Herndon area now since 2004, she hopes to apply her varied past experiences to a new role as a candidate for the Herndon Town Council, whose six seats will all be on the ballot for the upcoming Nov. 3 general election.

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Countywide

Rep. Don Beyer wins Democratic primary as Mizusawa, Beckwith earn nods in GOP races

By Emily Leayman
Rep. Don Beyer (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Fairfax County voters turned out in a trickle for Democratic and Republican primaries Tuesday (Aug. 4) to choose who will move on to the congressional midterm elections in November.

In the lone Democratic primary, Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) earned the nomination in the 8th Congressional District, the Associated Press called at 7:34 p.m. The congressman, vying for his seventh term, defeated four challengers — former Alexandria City Council Member Mo Seifeldein, fired State Department worker Michael Duffin, veteran and former CIA officer Adam Dunigan and military family advocate Lorena Bruner.

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Countywide

N. Va. Chamber’s PAC undecided about endorsing 2027 Fairfax supervisor candidates

By Scott McCaffrey
Members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors (staff photo by Jared Serre)

The political action committee associated with the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce is likely not to consider until next year whether to endorse candidates in Fairfax County’s 2027 Board of Supervisors’ elections.

“Trustees would likely not make that decision until the spring,” Clayton Medford, senior vice president of government relations for the Northern Virginia Chamber, said in response to an FFXnow inquiry.

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Countywide

Justice Department will send election monitors to Fairfax for August primaries

By Angela Woolsey
A sign at the Franconia District Governmental Center announcing that early voting for the Aug. 4, 2026 primary elections will start on July 25 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The U.S. Department of Justice will be keeping a close eye on Fairfax County’s upcoming Aug. 4 Congressional primaries.

The county is one of two jurisdictions in Virginia, along with Prince William County, where the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division plans to send election monitors, VPM News and the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported today (Monday).

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