Should Fairfax County switch to ranked-choice elections for Board of Supervisors’ races? Views were mixed during a community forum held last night (Monday) in Reston.
Even Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, who could be directly impacted by a voting-format change, said he needs to learn more about any potential impacts.
Fairfax County is poised to be split up into five Congressional districts after Virginia voters narrowly passed a constitutional amendment yesterday (Tuesday) that will let the General Assembly adopt a new map outside the standard once-a-decade redistricting cycle.
Statewide, it was a tight race, with about 51.5% of voters backing the referendum and 48.4% opposing it — a difference of approximately 97,600 votes out of the more than 3.1 million ballots cast, according to preliminary results from the Virginia Department of Elections.
Virginia voters appear to have approved a constitutional amendment to allow a one-time, mid-decade redistricting effort in today’s tightly contested special election.
While opponents initially led based on early voting, ballots reported later in the evening by Fairfax County and other heavily Democratic jurisdictions in Northern Virginia tipped the scales in favor of supporters, according to preliminary results reported by the Virginia Department of Elections.
After months of sometimes confusing commercials, mailers and political campaigning, Virginians will decide tomorrow (Tuesday) whether to allow an off-cycle redrawing of the state’s Congressional districts.
Voters will head to the polls to weigh in on a proposed constitutional amendment supporting a one-time, mid-decade redistricting process, one that would shift the current partisan balance for the House of Representatives to one where Democrats are favored in 10 of 11 districts.
Fairfax County Public Schools students will have an unexpected day off this spring, as polling sites take over many school buildings for the upcoming special election on mid-decade redistricting.
FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid announced yesterday (Wednesday) that all schools will close on April 21 in anticipation of high turnout for the referendum, which asks voters to temporarily amend Virginia’s Constitution so the General Assembly can adopt a new Congressional district map.
For the second time, Virginia’s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that voters can cast ballots on a Democrat-led congressional redistricting plan that could help the party win four more U.S. House seats, as the justices review legal challenges to the effort.
The court ruled that a statewide referendum can be held on April 21 on whether to authorize mid-decade redistricting, upending a temporary restraining order put in place by a Tazewell County judge last month. It comes after the top court made a similar ruling last month in a related case.
Some voters will cast ballots in a special election for the Braddock District seat on the Fairfax County School Board today (Tuesday), while early voting for a statewide congressional redistricting amendment will begin later this week.
Polls opened at 6 a.m. and will remain open until 7 p.m. throughout the Braddock District. The special election is only open to registered voters in the Braddock District, but district residents can also register and vote a provisional ballot on Election Day at their assigned polling place.
A potential statewide special election on mid-decade redistricting could put further stress on Fairfax County’s elections office, which has already been stretched thin over the past six months.
For now, however, the county’s election officials say the situation remains under control.
That’s one special election down, three more to go for Fairfax County voters.
In a low-turnout, low-suspense contest, Democratic nominee Gretchen Bulova handily defeated Republican candidate Adam Wise to become the next delegate for Virginia’s 11th House District, taking over a seat most recently filled by her husband, David Bulova.
Fairfax County election officials say they are holding their own as a series of special elections keeps local voters on their toes.
“We’ve got a fantastic team,” said Eric Spicer, the county’s registrar and elections director, at the Jan. 7 Electoral Board meeting.
