As Election Day nears, Fairfax County officials have outlined the steps being taken to secure voting and ensure accurate ballot counting. The Office of Elections reports that every vote is recorded, stored, and counted with a focus on security at each stage.
Strict procedures are in place for mail-in absentee ballots, which are growing in popularity. Official drop boxes, including a 24/7 location at the Fairfax County Government Center, are monitored by video surveillance and secured with padlocks. Ballots from these boxes are collected several times daily by election officers.
Two election officials transport ballots in sealed containers to the Office of Elections, where each step is documented for accountability and proper storage.
The county uses DS300 and DS950 ballot scanners certified at both state and federal levels for accuracy and security. Machines undergo thorough logic and accuracy testing before elections, with hardware and software checks performed by officials. Political party representatives can observe these tests for transparency.
A significant security measure is that voting machines lack modems or wireless features such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, preventing remote hacking attempts. Each machine’s digital scanner captures images of ballots while tallying votes. After polls close, results and ballot images are encrypted on proprietary USB drives transported under chain-of-custody protocols to headquarters. Voted ballots are then sealed, labeled for tracking, and moved to secure courthouse storage.
Virginia’s statewide voter database records every vote cast—whether in person, by mail, or early voting—to prevent double voting under a single name.
On Election Night, preliminary results include votes cast on Election Day, during early voting periods, and absentee ballots received so far. Final tallies await all absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day but received up to noon the following Friday; provisional ballots are processed in subsequent days before being added to totals.
Fairfax County has over 800,000 registered voters—the largest jurisdiction in Virginia—which means tabulation requires time. Results remain unofficial until all eligible absentee and provisional ballots are counted. Certification occurs after final counts are submitted to the Virginia Board of Elections by the second Friday after the election.
Post-election canvassing reconciles total ballots with voter numbers to confirm data matches between machines and printed reports; discrepancies must be resolved before certification. Periodic risk-limiting audits compare random paper ballot samples with electronic results for accuracy; these audits involve officials as well as observers from political parties.
“Through rigorous machine testing, secure ballot handling and transparent auditing, we’re ensuring that every eligible vote is counted,” said an official statement from the Office of Elections.
