FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — The Fairfax County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is urging the county's Electoral Board to make significant, but swift changes as residents are continuing to stand in long lines for early voting in this year's general election.
"Since early voting began in mid-September, Fairfax County residents have stood in lines of four hours and longer to vote. We were told that once satellite locations opened in October, the lines would become manageable. However, this is not the case, and now we have many lines averaging four hours all over the county," the local chapter said in a release.
In the release, the Executive Committee of the Fairfax NAACP requested that the Electoral Board, in coordination with the Board of Supervisors, make the following changes to accommodate early in-person voting in the county:
- Increase voting hours at each location
- Hire more election workers for non-credentialed jobs to support extended hours, relieving credentialed staff to focus on poll-related activities
- Ensure that every available room is used at each satellite location
- Implement IT and hardware solutions to wiring requirements to expand capacity
- Work with the planning office/magisterial district office, or responsible parties to identify the most efficient traffic patterns at satellite locations
- Create an easy to understand way-finding system to help direct voters to the proper queue, i.e. to find ballot dropbox or in-person voting lines
- Create a separate line for the 14% of individuals bringing absentee ballots to be spoiled, a process the Electoral Board claims takes 3 to 4 times as long as regular voting
- Expand the registration space at each location to accommodate the initial sign-in before voters reach the polling office, thereby moving people through the line faster.
To read the chapter's full letter to the Board of Supervisors, click here.
On Friday, the county's Board of Supervisors responded to the chapter's letter and demands for changes to early in-person voting.
"I agree with you that over 30 minutes is too long to wait in line to vote. I understand that it’s not only frustrating to stand in line, but there are many who simply don’t have the ability to wait so long," Jeffrey C. McKay, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors said in a letter. "I can assure you that it is the priority of the Board of Supervisors and the Electoral Board that everyone who is able votes in this election."
McKay stated in the letter that he is in constant communication with the Office of Elections daily and shared the chapter's specific suggestions with them, noting that he has "advocated for system improvements and will continue to do so."
He also provided clarity in regards to the chapter's requests and what the county's Office of Elections has done and will continue to monitor during the early voting.
To read McKay and the Board of Supervisors full letter, view below:
The deadline to register or update your registration for the November election In Virginia was Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020.
If you register online, you'll need a state ID. You can register online at www.elections.virginia.gov/citizen-portal. If you register in-person or through the mail, you'll need your Social Security number
You can check if you're already registered at vote.elections.virginia.gov. You may register to vote at your local Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office or request an application from your local general registrar
Additional information about registering to vote in Virginia can be found here or at your local registrar's website.
Virginia also offers an online Track Your Ballot tool to determine the status of your mail-in ballot.