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What residents need to know before voting on Fairfax County speed humps
Summary
FC DOT told residents ballots for the proposed devices will be sent to 194 occupied properties, must be returned directly to the Franconia District Supervisor's Office (mail, hand-deliver, email), unreturned ballots count as 'no', and failed measures cannot be reissued for two years.
At the July 2, 2026 community meeting on the proposed traffic-calming plan for Ben Franklin Road, Ridgeway Drive and Wesley Road, Fairfax County Department of Transportation staff explained how the neighborhood ballot will work and what residents can and cannot do during the vote.
FC DOT said each occupied property in the ballot area will receive one ballot; there are 194 occupied properties in the area. Ballots must be submitted directly to the Franconia District Supervisor's Office by mail, hand-delivery or email. "Any ballots collected by the task force will not be counted," a FC DOT staff member said.
Staff told residents they may engage neighbors by door-knocking, distributing flyers, posting at community events or holding informal gatherings to raise turnout, but cautioned volunteers not to touch completed ballots. "Once you all hand or distribute that ballot, you do not touch that ballot again," a staff member warned, adding that there had been past instances where collected ballots were improperly handled.
FC DOT also clarified that an absent ballot is treated as a no vote for the purposes of the turnout threshold. The plan requires more than 50% of occupied properties to vote in favor to pass — with 194 occupied properties, the county said the project needs at least 98 yes votes to advance.
If the ballot fails, FC DOT explained the neighborhood must wait a two-year period from the ballot end date before initiating another traffic-calming request for the same area. For questions about receipt counts or status during the ballot period, staff advised contacting the Franconia District Supervisor's Office, which will tally ballots and notify the task force.
FC DOT recommended the task force meet for an optional, more detailed ballot-process session to discuss logistics such as printing and distributing the physical ballot package, and confirmed slides and a recording of the meeting would be shared through the district office for wider distribution.
