How to vote early in Fairfax County — and what’s on your ballot
A quick guide to early voting, mail voting, registering and the races
Early voting in Fairfax County begins at three locations Friday, with less than 50 days to go until Election Day on Nov. 5.
To get you ready, here’s a quick-scan guide to the national, statewide and local choices that will be on your ballots, how you can register to vote, and how to cast a ballot by mail or in person.
Have other questions about how voting works in Fairfax County? Drop a comment or shoot me an email, and I’ll try to get it answered.
What’s on the ballot
Congress: One of three races, depending on where in Fairfax County you live
8th district: Rep. Don Beyer (D) vs. Special Forces veteran Jerry Torres (R). Beyer has represented this district, which includes McLean and Annandale, since 2015. Torres ran for Congress in Florida last cycle (and got booted off the ballot, before he appealed his way back onto it).
10th district: State Sen. Suhas Subramanyam (D) vs. Mike Clancy (R), a lawyer and tech company executive. Subramanyam topped a packed Democratic primary field in June, in a sprawling district that’s more competitive than the other two here. Clancy’s campaign has criticized the Biden administration over the economy and the border.
11th district: Rep. Gerry Connolly (D) vs. Navy veteran and behavioral therapist Michael Van Meter (R). Connolly, who is seeking a ninth term, has raised more than $1.9 million to Van Meter’s $24,000, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
President: Vice President Kamala Harris (D) vs. former president Donald Trump (R)
You know this one. Virginia was looking tight before President Biden dropped out of the race, but recent polls have suggested a wider edge for Harris. One note: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is not on the ballot in Virginia.
Senate: incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine (D) vs. retired Navy officer Hung Cao (R)
Cao, who lost his House bid in the 10th district to Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D) in 2022, notably arranged an appearance with Trump at Eden Center in August. Larry Sabato at UVA rates the race as safe for Kaine, who first won election to the Senate in 2012.
Local issues
One yes/no question will ask voters whether Fairfax County should contract a debt and issue bonds to pay its share for WMATA upgrades, like safety and maintenance projects, station improvements, new rail cars, and buses.
A second question will ask the same but for financing a Tysons fire station, a modernized Police Training Center, and renovations or replacement of additional facilities like the Fox Mill and Oakton fire stations. (You can find the county’s full rundown on its Bond Referendum Plan here.)
If you’re in Herndon, you’ll be voting for your Town Council and next mayor.
A proposed Virginia constitutional amendment
No, not on abortion. This proposal would expand a tax exemption to cover surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty, not just those of soldiers who were killed in action.
[The Machine is looking to hear from Fairfax County voters who are still deciding about the presidential race. If that’s you or someone you know, let me know here.]
How to register and look up your voting info
If you haven’t yet registered to vote, you can do so online or send in a mail application by Oct. 15. After that, same-day voter registration will be available at polling locations, including on Election Day itself. If you register the same day you vote, you’ll just have to cast a provisional ballot.
Want to double-check your info? Look up your registration status and polling place using Virginia’s Department of Elections portal.
Where to vote early in person
Unlike on Election Day, you can vote early in Fairfax County at any of the available in-person early-voting locations.
Three of them open to voters Friday: Fairfax County Government Center, in Fairfax; Mt. Vernon Governmental Center, in Alexandria; or North County Governmental Center, in Reston. The hours vary by location. The Fairfax site is open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., while the Alexandria and Reston offices will be open to voters 1 to 7 p.m. Each will be open on select Saturdays 9-5 and on just one Sunday (Oct. 27).
Thirteen additional locations around the county will start offering early voting Oct. 17.
What you need to vote
The easiest way, whether you vote early or on Election Day, is to bring an acceptable form of identification to the polls. Here, that could mean:
A Virginia driver’s license
A U.S. military ID
A valid employee or student ID card with a photograph of you
A U.S. passport
Voter-confirmation documents or a voter ID card issued by the Department of Elections
A utility bill, bank statement, or paycheck with your name and address
You can find the full list of documents here. And if you forget your ID, you still can vote normally if you sign an ID confirmation statement.
[Follow The Machine on Instagram and on Twitter]
How to vote by mail
If you already signed up to vote by mail, ballots will start to ship out Friday. The last day to request a mail ballot for the election is Oct. 25 by 5 p.m.
To count, mail ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 5 and received by noon on Nov. 8 at the latest. If you prefer to drop your ballot off in person, or if you’re cutting it close to those deadlines, you can bring your mail ballot to the Office of Elections or a ballot drop box before 7 p.m. on Election Day, too.