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Electoral Board votes to weigh in on facility-use policy and directs staff to develop multi-language plan
Summary
The Fairfax County Electoral Board approved a motion to participate in the county's facilities-use policy review (to address campaigning near Government Center on election day) and voted to direct staff to develop a plan to support up to 10 languages on ballot-marking devices and via translation resources; both motions passed by voice vote.
The Fairfax County Electoral Board agreed to prepare comments for the county’s facilities-use policy review and directed staff to develop a plan to expand language access for voters.
Board members discussed concerns about campaigning and pre-clearance rules outside the Government Center on election day and concluded that the board should “be at the table” during the county’s review. A motion to prepare comments for the county process was moved, seconded and carried by voice vote.
Separately, after debating the timing and scope, the board voted to ask staff to develop a plan to support up to 10 languages for ballot marking and translation services. Members emphasized the directive was to investigate and draft an implementation framework, not to implement changes immediately: board members repeatedly clarified the motion "is not an implementation, it's a let's begin to look at how we might do that." The motion passed by voice vote.
Discussion cited delays in federal census data that have slowed formal language-need updates and noted recent voting-equipment upgrades now support multiple languages; members urged staff to consult school-division language statistics and community partners and to consider accepting in-kind translation resources from universities or community organizations.
Staff were directed to return with a plan for board review.
