Politics & Government

Falls Church Is #1 on Election Day in Northern Virginia When It Comes to This

The Little City sees big turnout on election days.

No other Northern Virginia jurisdiction holds a candle to Falls Church when it comes to voter turnout in recent elections.

During the presidential election last year, Falls Church saw an 87.43 percent turnout, higher than any other Northern Virginia jurisdiction. 

In 2009, the last time Virginia elected a governor, Falls Church had 7,852 active registered voters (out of 8,258) at its six precincts, according to the State Board of Elections.

Of those, 4,213 voted or 53.66 percent — the highest voter turnout in Northern Virginia in 2009. (Here's the Falls Church breakdown from 2009: 3,689 voted in person, five voted curbside, 488 voted absentee, and 31 votes were provisional, making for a total of 4,213 votes.)

The average turnout, statewide in 2009, was 42.45 percent, according to the State Board of Elections.

By comparison, the active voter turnout by other jurisdictions in Northern Virginia in 2009 was:

  • City of Alexandria: 44.17 percent
  • Arlington County: 43.16 percent
  • Fairfax County: 43.83 percent
  • Fairfax City: 44.22 percent
  • Loudoun County: 38.02 percent
What will turnout be like this year statewide? According to statistics released last week, Fairfax County is seeing an "explosion" in early voting for the election—to the tune of more than double what it saw for the election four years ago.

Frank Anderson, executive director of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee, said thanks in large part to the convenience of the county's new satellite locations for in-person absentee voting, the county has seen a huge jump in the numbers voting early, to the tune of a 157-percent increase over 2009.

Patch editor Jennifer van der Kleut contributed to this story.


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