What To Expect For In-Person Voting In Vienna Town Election

VIENNA, VA — Vienna's mayoral and town council elections are scheduled to happen on Tuesday, May 19 after being delayed two weeks by Gov. Ralph Northam. In-person voting will happen from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. with precautions in light of the new coronavirus situation. Town of Vienna voters can cast a ballot.

Applications for an absentee ballot by mail must be received by the Fairfax County Office of Elections by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12. Voters can complete an application online on the Virginia Department of Elections website, and paper applications are provided at the front door of Vienna Town Hall. Voters can choose "2A My disability or illness" as a reason for absentee voting in May and June elections.

Once an absentee ballot is received by mail, voters must return it to the Fairfax County Office of Elections by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19. The voter registration deadline has passed.

Voters can also participate in curbside absentee voting at the Fairfax County Government Center from 8 a.m. to 4:30 pm Monday to Friday through May 15 and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 16. Voters are encouraged to call ahead at 703-222-0776.

Election Day voting will take place in the Vienna Community Center auditorium with no more than two voters allowed inside at a time. Voters will enter the community center at one location and exit through another. Floor markings will direct how voters should line up with six-foot separation; an election official will monitor physical distancing.

Election officers will wear masks and gloves as well as limit contact with voters. Ballots will be issued at two check-in stations, and only one vote tabulator will be used. Face coverings will not be provided for voters but are encouraged.

One election official will be available for curbside voting. Voters will be provided with a phone number to call upon arrival for curbside voting, and a ballot will be brought out when it's their turn.

Voters are urged not to use their hand sanitizer immediately before voting and their own pens to mark ballots. Both sanitizer and gel ink can soak into the ballot paper and make it hard for the tabulator to read. A hand-sanitizing station will be provided for voters on their way out of the polling location. Sanitized pens will be provided.

According to a sample ballot, the candidates for mayor are:

• Howard J. Springsteen
• Pasha M. Majdi
• Linda Jane Colbert

Candidates for Town Council (three seats) are:

• Charles L. "Chuck" Anderson
• Ray S. Brill, Jr.
• Roy J. Baldwin
• David N. Patariu
• Chris P. Wright
• Andrea Kristin Dahl
• Ed A. Somers

See more candidate information at viennavotes.com. More information on the town election is available at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/elections/upcoming.