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Braddock District voters are choosing a new representative on the Fairfax County School Board today, Tuesday, as Fairfax County prepares for a separate statewide redistricting referendum in April.

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the Braddock District special election. Only registered district voters may participate, though eligible residents can register and cast a provisional ballot at their assigned polling place on Election Day.

Tom Dannan and Saundra Davis are competing for the vacant seat.

School board races are officially nonpartisan, but Braddock District Democratic voters endorsed Dannan at a Jan. 10 caucus. Dannan is a local business owner and Terra Centre resident.

The vacancy arose after Rachna Sizemore Heizer left the School Board in December to become the district’s county supervisor.

Davis is running as an independent without a party endorsement. She previously sought office as a Republican, receiving the Fairfax County Republican Committee’s endorsement for an at-large School Board seat in 2023. Last year, she unsuccessfully challenged Del. Laura Jane Cohen, a Democrat representing District 15, for a House of Delegates seat.

Redistricting referendum approaches

All registered Virginia voters will be eligible to participate in an April 21 special election on a proposed constitutional amendment permitting temporary mid-decade congressional redistricting. Early in-person voting begins Friday, March 6.

Voters casting ballots in person must present an accepted form of identification.

A map proposed by Virginia Democrats would divide Fairfax County among five redesigned congressional districts: the 1st, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th. The county is currently divided among the 8th, 10th and 11th districts.

The ballot will ask:

“Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?”

The proposal faces several court challenges. Even so, local registrars are continuing election preparations after a Lynchburg judge ruled Monday that a lawsuit questioning the amendment’s constitutionality would not be decided until after the vote.

Early in-person voting will run from March 6 through April 18. April 10 is the deadline to request a mail ballot, and April 14 is the voter-registration deadline.

Mail ballots must be returned in person by 7 p.m. on April 21. Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by April 21 and received by the election office no later than noon on April 24.

Election Day voting will take place from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on April 21.

Virginia’s Department of Elections citizen portal allows voters to register, request a mail ballot and confirm their polling place. Registration and mail-ballot applications are also available through the Fairfax County Office of Elections in person or by mail.

Early-voting locations

Three sites will offer early voting from March 6 through April 18:

  • Fairfax County Government Center, Room 251, 12000 Government Center Parkway in Fairfax. Parking is limited. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 11 and 18.

  • Mount Vernon Governmental Center, 2511 Parkers Lane in Alexandria.

  • North County Governmental Center, 1801 Cameron Glen Drive in Reston.

The Mount Vernon and North County locations will operate from 1 to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 11 and 18.

Additional sites will open from April 11 through April 18:

  • Burke Centre Library, 5935 Freds Oak Road in Burke
  • Centreville Regional Library, 14200 St. Germain Drive in Centreville
  • Franconia Governmental Center, 6121 Franconia Road in Alexandria
  • Great Falls Library, 9830 Georgetown Pike in Great Falls
  • Jim Scott Community Center, 3001 Vaden Drive in Fairfax
  • Herndon Fortnightly Library, 768 Center Street in Herndon
  • Lorton Community Center, 9520 Richmond Highway in Lorton
  • Mason Governmental Center, 6507 Columbia Pike in Annandale, where construction is limiting parking
  • McLean Governmental Center, 1437 Balls Hill Road in McLean
  • Sully Governmental Center, 4900 Stonecroft Boulevard in Chantilly
  • Thomas Jefferson Library, 7415 Arlington Boulevard in Falls Church
  • Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library, 7584 Leesburg Pike in Falls Church
  • West Springfield Governmental Center, 6140 Rolling Road in Springfield

These additional locations will be open from 1 to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

Congressional primaries pushed to August

The referendum is also changing Virginia’s primary calendar. Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed legislation moving the June 16 congressional primaries to Aug. 4, allowing candidates more time to file after voters decide the proposed map’s fate.

The revised date applies to all primaries selecting nominees for the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Fairfax County ballots will include the race for Democratic Sen. Mark Warner’s seat and contests for three to five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The referendum’s outcome will determine which House districts appear on county ballots.

Candidates seeking a political party’s nomination for the House must file by May 26. Independent House candidates have until Aug. 4.

Deadlines for other contests, including the Senate race, remain April 2 for party candidates and June 16 for independents.