Summary

Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a suburban county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Fairfax County uses the urban county executive form of government, which county voters approved in a 1966 referendum.

Upcoming Elections

June 11, 2019 Commonwealth Primary (if called)

Offices on the ballot:   Fairfax City and County Commonwealth’s Attorney, Fairfax City and County Sheriff

November 5, 2019 Commonwealth General Election

Offices on the ballot:  County Commissioners, County School Board, Fairfax City and County Commonwealth’s Attorney (four year term), Fairfax City and County Sheriff (Four year term)

General Information

Web Pages:  fairfaxcounty.gov/elections/ (Note: Much of the content in this post is from the Fairfax County website and wikipedia page)
Hours:  Monday-Wednesday, Friday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
Address: 12000 Government Center Parkway Suite 323
Fairfax, VA 22035
Mailing Address: Fairfax County Office of Elections
P.O. Box 10161  Fairfax, VA 22038

Director of Elections & General Registrar:  Cameron Glenn Sasnett
Email: registrar@fairfaxva.gov    Phone Number: 703-222-0776  Fax: 703.591.8364
Electoral Board

The Office of the Electoral Board: 703-324-4735, TYY 711; Fax: 703-324-4706, Email
Absentee Ballot Application Fax:  703-324-3725
For 24-hour recorded information please call 703-324-4700

County website:  fairfaxcounty.gov/

OnAir Post: Fairfax County

About

From Wikipedia entry

Under the urban county executive plan, the county is governed by the 10-member Fairfax County Board of Supervisors with the day-to-day running of the county tasked to the appointed Fairfax County Executive.

Nine of the board members are elected from the single-member districts of Braddock, Dranesville, Hunter Mill, Lee, Mason, Mount Vernon, Providence, Springfield, and Sully, while the chairman is elected at-large.

In addition to the Board of Supervisors, three constitutional officers; the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Sheriff, as well as the 12 members of the Fairfax County School Board, are directly elected by the voters of Fairfax County.

The Fairfax County Government Center is west of the City of Fairfax in an unincorporated area.Fairfax County contains an exclave unincorporated area in the central business district of the City of Fairfax, in which many county facilities (including the courthouses and jail) are located.

Fairfax County was once considered a Republican bastion. However, in recent years Democrats have made significant inroads, gaining control of the Board of Supervisors and the School Board (officially nonpartisan) as well as the offices of Sheriff and Commonwealth Attorney. Democrats also control the majority of Fairfax seats in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate.

As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,081,726, in 2015, it was estimated at 1,142,234, making it the Commonwealth’s most populous jurisdiction, with 13.6% of Virginia’s population. The county is also the most populous jurisdiction in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, with 19.8% of the MSA population, as well as the larger Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Statistical Area, with 13.1% of the CSA population. The county seat is the City of Fairfax, though because it is an independent city under Virginia law, the city of Fairfax is not part of Fairfax County.

Fairfax was the first U.S. county to reach a six-figure median household income and has the second-highest median household income of any local jurisdiction in the United States after neighbor Loudoun County.

The county is home to the headquarters of intelligence agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency, , and National Reconnaissance Office, as well as the National Counterterrorism Center and Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The county is also home to seven Fortune 500 companies, including three with Falls Church addresses; although Falls Church is its own independent municipality.

Fairfax County encompasses portions of three congressional districts, the 8th District, the 10th District, and the 11th District. Republican Barbara Comstock represents the 10th District, while Democrat Don Beyer represents the 8th District and Democrat Gerry Connolly represents the 11th District.

Election News & Events

Fairfax Co. registrar to deny voter registrations over concerns with Va. system
Max Smith, Jan. 3, 2018  WTOP

Thousands of people who recently moved to Fairfax County from other parts of Virginia are set to receive notice in the next week or so that their voter registration requests have been denied. This move follows concerns about the way a state Department of Elections system handles requests submitted through the Department of Motor Vehicles, the county’s general registrar said.

To start with, that means about 5,000 letters to people who submitted some of the most recent address updates. The county’s general registrar is accepting similar voter registration updates through the Department of Elections website.

“I’m going to deny the transfer, I’m going to inform the voter that they’re still registered in [their previous jurisdiction], and I’m going to send them an application so they can fill that out,” Fairfax County General Registrar Cameron Sasnett said in an interview.

How to Vote

Voter ID Requirements

Citizens Portal

City Polling Locations

County Elections

Absentee Voting

    1. Your absentee ballot is counted on election night in the Central Absentee Precinct (CAP) and your vote is included with the absentee reported results.
    2. There are 20 valid reasons to vote absentee in Virginia. Check the list provided by the Virginia Department of Elections to see if you are eligible (refer to the Reason Codes for Voting Absentee section).
    3. There are two ways to vote absentee in Virginia: in-person and by mail. To do either, you should first check your voter registration status to make sure it is up-to-date.
    4. You can apply for an absentee ballot online by accessing your Virginia Voter Record. You will need the following documents to complete this request:
      • Social Security Number
      • Virginia Driver’s License

      Your application will be denied if you fail to provide the last four digits of your social security number or any other information required to determine your qualification to vote absentee. For additional information, please visit the Virginia Department of Elections’ website or contact our office.

Candidate Information

Candidates for office must meet certain qualifications and are required to file specific documents in order to qualify to appear on the ballot. These qualifications and requirements may vary slightly depending on whether the office sought is a local office, a general assembly seat, a statewide office, or a federal office. Generally, all candidates must meet the following minimum qualifications:

  1. A candidate must be qualified to vote for and to hold the office being sought.
  2. A candidate must have been a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia for at least one year immediately preceding the election.

Citizens who are interested in running for state or local offices in Virginia should start by downloading the appropriate Candidate Information Bulletin from the Virginia Department of Elections web site to get information about qualifications for a particular office, filing requirements and deadlines, where to file the required forms and documents, and other information about running for a particular office. All candidates for office must also comply with state laws regarding campaign finance and advertising.

Candidate information, forms and reports may also be obtained by contacting:
Virginia Department of Elections 
Washington Building
1100 Bank Street, First Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: (804) 864-8901
Toll-free in Virginia: (800) 552-9745
Fax: (804) 371-0194
Email: info@elections.virginia.gov
Fairfax County residents needing forms and/or assistance may contact:
The Office of Elections
Candidate Phone: 703-324-4716
Candiate Email: voting@fairfaxcounty.gov
General Registrar: 703-222-0776

Electoral Board

Bettina M. LawtonMember [ Email ]
Katherine K. HanleySecretary [ Email ]
Stephen M. HuntChairman [ Email ]

Eric L. Spicer, 
Election Manager

Web page

Board of Supervisors

The Board of Supervisors establishes county government policy, passes resolutions and ordinances (within the limits of its authority established by the Virginia General Assembly), approves the budget, sets local tax rates, approves land use plans and makes appointments to various positions. View the Board’s priorities.

Fairfax County has an elected Board of Supervisors consisting of nine members elected by district, plus a chairman elected at-large. The law requires that districts be of approximately equal population and that the supervisors (other than the chairman) be residents and qualified voters of their districts and be elected only by voters living in those districts. All voters in the county may vote for the chairman. The Board elects the vice chairman annually from among its members at its first meeting in January.

  • Board members are elected for four-year terms.
  • There is no legal limit to the number of terms a member can serve.
  • Each Board member receives annual compensation of $95,000 per year, except the chairman who receives $100,000 per year.

Terms expire Dec. 31, 2019

Web Page

School Board

The Fairfax County School Board is charged by the statutes of Virginia and the regulations of the Virginia Board of Education to operate the public schools of Fairfax County by setting general school policy and establishing guidelines that will ensure the proper administration of the Fairfax County Public Schools programs.

Web pages

School Board Members

The 12 School Board members are elected for four-year terms; one member represents each of the County’s nine magisterial districts, and three members serve at large. A student representative, selected for a one-year term by the Student Advisory Council, sits with the Board at all public meetings and participates in discussions, but does not vote. School Board members are paid a salary of $32,000 per year. The Chairman is paid an additional $2,000 per year.

Web pages

 

 

Shared City/County Officials

Clerk of the Circuit Court

City voters elect the Clerk of the Circuit Court, one of the constitutional officers created by the Commonwealth’s constitution. The Clerk of the Circuit Court, who is elected to an 8-year term, is the official custodian of all court records and documents for both the city and Fairfax County.

The Clerk’s office is located on the third floor of the Jennings Building, 4110 Chain Bridge Road; 703.246.2770.

Commonwealth Attorney

As the chief law enforcement officer in the city and in Fairfax County, the Commonwealth’s Attorney prosecutes criminal cases, including all felonies occurring in the city. Residents of the city and Fairfax County elect the Commonwealth’s Attorney to a 4-year term.The principal focus of this office is major crimes, and the office works closely with the City of Fairfax Police Department.

Offices of the Commonwealth’s Attorney are located in the Fairfax County Judicial Center, 4110 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 123; 703.246.2776.

Sheriff 

The city shares a sheriff with Fairfax County and other local communities. The sheriff is an elected official who has criminal and civil jurisdiction in the city and surrounding jurisdictions. The sheriff, elected to a 4-year term, is responsible for securing the city’s General District Court, County Adult Detention Center and County Pre-Release Center, serving civil processes, and security of the Judicial Center and various county courts.

The Sheriff’s Office has more than 400 uniformed deputies and civilian employees. The office is located in the Judicial Center at 4110 Chain Bridge Road; 703.246.3227.

Visit the Elected Officials page for more information.

Candidates for City/County Offices

November 5, 2019 Commonwealth General Election

Offices on the ballot:  Fairfax City and County Commonwealth’s Attorney (four year term), Fairfax City and County Sheriff (Four year term)

TBD

Town Elections

Clifton

Clifton Mayor and Town Council are elected in even-number years on the first Tuesday in May.
Websiteclifton-va.com/

Herndon

Herndon Mayor and Town Council are elected in even-number years on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November.
Website:  herndon-va.gov/

Vienna

Vienna Mayor and three Town Council members are elected in even-numbered years on the first Tuesday in May.Three Vienna Town Council members are elected in odd-numbered years on the first Tuesday in May.
Websiteviennava.gov/