FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Early voting for the Nov. 3 general election begins on Friday. Voters in the City of Fairfax will choose who will represent them on Capitol Hill, as well as in City Hall.
City of Fairfax residents will vote for candidates running in the mayoral, city council and school board races. The ballot also includes three referendums to amend the Virginia constitution and a ballot question on whether the city should adopt a 1% sales tax.
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.
In the Republican Primary, Bert Mizusawa was declared the GOP's candidate for U.S. Senate on the Nov. 3 ballot. He defeated challengers David E. Williams and Kim Farington. Mizusawa faces incumbent Senator Mark Warner (D).
View Sample Ballot and Explanations
Mizusawa is a decorated retired Army major general who also holds a law degree. He's had a long career that's included senior military leadership roles, legal and federal contracting work, and positions advising the first Trump campaign and the CIA. He has unsuccessfully run for federal office in Virginia before.
Member United States Senate
Member House of Representatives (11th District)
Mayor
Member City Council
Member School Board
Fairfax City voters will decide on whether to approve or disapprove a 1% retail sales tax.
Ballot Question
"Should the City of Fairfax be authorized to levy a general retail sales tax at a rate not to exceed one percent (1%), as determined by the City Council, to provide revenues solely for: (i) capital projects for new construction or renovation of schools serving the City, including bond and loan financing costs related to such needs; or (ii) public transportation purposes serving the City, including bond and loan financing costs related to such needs; or (iii) both capital projects for new construction or renovation of schools serving the City and public transportation purposes serving the City?"
Summary: This referendum asks voters whether to grant the City Council the legal authority to introduce an additional local retail sales tax of up to 1%.
Virginia voters will also find three statewide questions on the ballot:
The ballot question reads:
Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) protect the freedom to make personal decisions about prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion, miscarriage management, and fertility care; (ii) protect doctors, nurses, and patients from being punished for these decisions; and (iii) allow for restrictions on access to abortion during the third trimester of pregnancy except when the patient's health is at risk or the pregnancy cannot survive?
Summary: The amendment would establish a constitutional right to reproductive freedom and protect patients and those assisting them from punishment for exercising that right. It would allow the state to regulate third-trimester abortions, but require exceptions when a physician determines an abortion is needed to protect the pregnant patient's life or physical or mental health, or when the fetus is not viable.
The ballot question reads:
Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) remove the ban on same-sex marriage; (ii) affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race; and (iii) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law?
Summary: The amendment would remove Virginia's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, which the Department of Elections explains is unenforceable under the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. It would prohibit denying marriage licenses to two adults based on sex, gender or race and require equal treatment of lawful marriages.
The ballot question reads:
Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended (i) to provide for the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth, (ii) to revise the qualifications of voters so that a person convicted of a felony is not entitled to vote during his period of incarceration but is automatically invested with the right to vote upon release from incarceration, and (iii) to update the existing prohibition on voting by persons found to be mentally incompetent to instead apply to persons who have been found to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting?
Summary: The amendment would establish a fundamental right to vote for qualified voters and automatically restore voting rights to people convicted of felonies upon release from incarceration, without requiring restoration by the governor. It would also require a specific court finding that a person cannot understand the act of voting before removing voting rights on grounds of incapacity.
Fairfax City voters will be able to cast in-person ballots at City Hall Friday, Sept. 18 and running through Saturday, Oct. 31. Polls will be open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding holidays.
There will also be two Saturdays (Oct. 24 and Oct. 31) and two Sunday (Oct. 18 and Oct. 25), when voters can cast in-person ballots. Saturday hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday hours are 12 to 5 p.m.
The deadline to file for a by-mail ballot is Friday, Oct. 23. Completed ballots must be received by 5 p.m. on that day. Ballots can be returned via mail or in-person at City Hall, which is located at 10455 Armstrong St. Ballots can also be dropped off at the dropbox outside City Hall.
The deadline to register or to update registration information is Friday, Oct. 23. Applications must be returned in-person by 5 p.m. or online by 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 23. Check your regisration status at the Virginia Department of Elections Citizen Portal.
On Election Day, Nov. 3, polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Find your polling location on the Virginia Department of Elections website.
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