Fairfax City Primary Voter Guide: What’s On The Aug. 4 Ballot

Fairfax City voters can cast ballots for candidates running in the U.S. Senate race in Virginia's dual primary.

By Michael O'Connell, Patch Staff

Aug 3, 2026 4:00 PM EDT

Fairfax City voters can cast ballots for candidates running in the U.S. Senate race in Virginia's dual primary. (Emily Leayman/Patch)

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — The Virginia Department of Elections requested a primary election to nominate Democratic and Republican candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives and local offices.

However, in Fairfax City, just three Republicans are on the Aug. 4 primary ballot to determine which will represent their party in the Nov. 3 general election.

U.S. Senate - Republican Primary

View a sample Republican ballot here.

Fairfax City is in the 11th Congressional District. Incumbent U.S. Rep. James Walkinshaw (D) is running for re-election and Arthur Purves is the Republican Party's candidate. So, there will be no primary in the 11th District race.

While multiple candidates are running for the Fairfax City Council, school board and mayor in the November election, those candidates are running as independents and are officially unaffiliated with any political party. For this reason, a primary is not held for local races in the city.

In Fairfax City, political parties can endorse a candidate running for local office, but that endorsement will not be next to their name on the ballot in November.

Early voting for the primary began on June 18 and ended on Aug. 1. Voters are not registered by party in Virginia, so any registered voter can cast a ballot in the primary they choose.

The deadline to register to vote or update an existing voter registration was Friday, July 24, which was also the deadline to request a mail-in ballot.

Voters can register to vote at the polls and cast a provisional ballot. More information is available at FairfaxVA.gov/Vote.

On Election Day, polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Find information about where to vote here.

Visit the Virginia Department of Elections Citizen Portal to check your registration status. The Department of Elections website also offers information on what identification to bring with you to the polls.