Greater Alexandria 2022 General Election: Candidates, How To Vote

MOUNT VERNON, VA — Greater Alexandria voters will head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 8 to decide the 11th congressional district race. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Congressional races are the only elections in Fairfax County on Nov. 8, except local races in the Town of Herndon. In the 8th congressional district, incumbent Rep. Don Beyer (D-Alexandria) faces Republican challenger Karina Lipsman. The 11th congressional district is considered solid Democrat in the 2022 Cook Political Report's House race ratings.

Beyer is in his fourth term as the 8th congressional district representative is the chair of the Congress Joint Economic Committee and is a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means and House Committee on Science Space and Technology. Beyer previously served as ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein under President Obama's administration and lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1998. In June, Beyer defeated Democratic primary opponent Victoria Virasingh with 77 percent of the vote.

Beyer's general election opponent is Lipsman, who came to the U.S. as a Ukrainian refugee during her childhood and is now a U.S. citizen. Lipsman has worked for 14 years in national defense and intelligence and was chosen as a candidate during a May Republican convention.

Redrawn congressional district maps will take effect with the 2022 election. The 8th congressional district still contains all of the City of Alexandria, Arlington County, and City of Falls Church, but the boundaries are adjusted in Fairfax County. The Richmond Highway corridor communities of Mount Vernon, Woodlawn, Hybla Valley, Groveton, Fort Hunt, Belle Haven and Huntington remain in the 8th congressional district.

How to Vote on Election Day

Fairfax County residents registered to vote in Virginia can vote in the election by visiting their polling place between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Voters who are in line by 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote. To check your polling place, visit vote.elections.virginia.gov or see maps of precincts in Fairfax County.

Because Virginia voters are not registered with a party affiliation, any registered voter can vote in the Democratic primary. An acceptable form of identification is required for in-person voting in Virginia.

A sample ballot for the 8th congressional district in Fairfax County is available here.

How to Vote Early

Early voting is another option, and Virginia voters no longer not need an excuse to vote early.

In-person early voting does not require an application in advance. Voters need an acceptable form of identification to vote in person.

Here are the early voting locations and times in Fairfax County:

Fairfax County Government Center

• 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays through Nov. 4
• Saturday, Sept. 24: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 29: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Sunday, Oct. 30: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 5: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mount Vernon Governmental Center

• 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays through Nov. 4
• Saturday, Sept. 24: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 29: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Sunday, Oct. 30: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 5: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

North County Governmental Center

• 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays through Nov. 4
• Saturday, Sept. 24: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 29: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Sunday, Oct. 30: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 5: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Burke Centre Library, Centreville Regional Library, Franconia Governmental Center, Great Falls Library, Herndon-Fortnightly Library, Lorton Community Center, Mason Governmental Center, McLean Governmental Center, Providence Community Center, Sully Governmental Center, Thomas Jefferson Library, Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library, West Springfield Governmental Center

• 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays Oct. 27 through Nov. 4
• Saturday, Oct. 29: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Sunday, Oct. 30: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 5: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A mail-in ballot is another option. Applications to request a mail-in ballot are due by Oct. 28. Completed ballots must be returned to the Fairfax County Office of Election by 7 p.m. on Nov. 8 or postmarked by Nov. 8 and received by the Office of Elections by noon on Nov. 14.

To request a mail-in ballot, visit vote.elections.virginia.gov, download an application online, or pick up a paper application at Fairfax County Public Library locations or county governmental centers.

Another way to return a mail-in ballot is by drop box. A ballot drop box is available until 7 p.m. Nov. 8 front of the Fairfax County Government Center 24/7 under video surveillance. Ballot drop boxes will also be provided during voting hours at early voting sites and at all polling places from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 8.

How to Register to Vote or Update Voter Registration

Oct. 17 is the deadline for voter registration or updating an existing voter registration (such as an address change). The easiest way to register or check your registration is online at vote.elections.virginia.gov by Oct. 17.

Fairfax County residents may also download an application on the Office of Elections website, visit the Office of Elections, or pick up an application at a Fairfax County Public Library location, Fairfax County supervisor's office or county governmental center. Returned applications must be postmarked on or before Oct. 17.

Voters who do not update their registration before the Oct. 17 deadline can cast a provisional ballot on Election Day through the same day registration process.

Where To Find Election Results

Unofficial election results will start to come in after polls close at 7 p.m. on Nov. 8 on the Virginia Department of Elections website. Follow Patch on Election Day for live coverage of congressional election results.

For more information about the upcoming election or voting in Fairfax County, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/elections.