Second Early Voting Location Proposed For Route 1 Corridor

MOUNT VERNON, VA — The Richmond Highway corridor in Fairfax County could get an additional voter satellite office if approved by the Board of Supervisors.

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors authorized a public hearing to consider the South County Government Center at 8350 Richmond Highway, Alexandria as a voter satellite office for in-person early voting. The public hearing will happen on June 22 at 4 p.m.

Adoption is being considered on this date to prepare the voter satellite office and inform voters before the Nov. 2, 2021 general election. The public hearing will happen after the June 8, 2021 primary election.

The South County Government Center in the Mount Vernon area would join other voter satellite offices, including Mount Vernon Governmental Center in Hybla Valley. Voter satellite offices supplement the early voting location at the Fairfax County Government Center's Office of Elections.

There are 16 in-person early voting locations for the June 8, 2021 primary election, including a newly approved location at Burke Centre Library. These sites are: Fairfax County Government Center, North County Governmental Center, Mount Vernon Governmental Center, Burke Centre Library, Centreville Regional Library, Franconia Governmental Center, Great Falls Library, Herndon Fortnightly Library, Laurel Hill Golf Club, Mason Governmental Center, McLean Governmental Center, Providence Community Center, Sully Governmental Center, Thomas Jefferson Library, Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library and West Springfield Governmental Center.

The county is considering the additional voter satellite office as state law allows no-excuse early voting starting 45 days before an election. Virginia law states that a governing body can establish as many voter satellite offices as needed and may be located in a public building owned or leased by the locality or facility owned or leased by the Commonwealth of Virginia and used as a DMV location or office of the general registrar. No changes of voter satellite offices can happen within 60 days of any general election.

Early voting drew plenty of interest in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the November 2020 election, approximately 33 percent of total Fairfax County ballots cast came from in-person early voting sites. The county expects the trend of early voting to increase.