Massive Absentee Vote Totals In Fairfax County For Va. Governor

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- The numbers are in, and the total absentee ballots filed for the 2017 Virginia gubernatorial election in Fairfax County have destroyed the totals for the last election.

Through Saturday, Nov. 4 -- the final day of absentee voting before the Nov. 7 election -- Fairfax County has recorded 11,941 mail-in ballots and 29,866 in-person absentee voters for a total of 41,807 absentee ballots. For the 2013 election, there were only 25,802 absentee ballots cast.

It's a sign that this year's gubernatorial race is a lot more significant than it was last time around. With Democrats looking for early signs that President Trump's support is eroding and that they could take back the House and Senate in 2018, the Virginia governor's race has earned national attention.

Republican Ed Gillespie is locked in a tight battle with Democrat Ralph Northam, and Trump himself has even weighed in on the race, throwing his support behind Gillespie.

Northam's lead has continued to shrink as election day approaches. He now only holds a 1.9-point advantage over Gillespie, according to a RealClearPolitics aggregation of polls. Gillespie leads by three points in one poll, it's tied in two others, and Northam holds a small lead in five polls.

Image via both candidates' official websites.