(The Center Square) – Early in-person voting began Friday in Northern Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, launching the special election to fill the seat left vacant by the death of longtime Rep. Gerry Connolly.
The election will be held Sept. 9, with the winner serving the remainder of Connolly’s term, which ends in January 2027. Connolly, a Democrat who had held the seat since 2009, died in May after a battle with cancer. He had announced in April that he would not seek reelection.
Democrat James Walkinshaw, a Fairfax County supervisor, and Republican Stewart Whitson, an attorney and former FBI official, secured their party nominations in June. Walkinshaw won the Democratic firehouse primary with 59.5% of the vote, while Whitson led a seven-way GOP canvass with 39.2%. Independent candidate Chandra Tamirisa also qualified for the ballot.
Early voting in Fairfax County is available at the Government Center in Fairfax and the North County Governmental Center in Reston. Fairfax City voters can cast ballots at City Hall. Additional satellite locations will open across the county beginning Aug. 29.
Only voters who live in the 11th Congressional District are eligible to participate in the special election. Ballots cast during early voting are fed into digital scanners at the polling place but are not tallied or reported until after polls close on Election Day.
Voters can also request a mail-in ballot until 5 p.m. on Aug. 29. Ballots must be postmarked by Sept. 9 and received by noon on Sept. 12 to be counted.
Both major-party candidates released videos Friday encouraging early turnout.
Whitson appeared outside the Fairfax Government Center, saying he had been “greeting voters” since the polls opened and planned to visit the Reston location later in the day. “Looking around, where’s Walkinshaw? He’s not here, and guess what? He doesn’t have a single volunteer here either,” Whitson said.
Walkinshaw posted a video listing early voting site hours and urging voters to cast ballots as soon as possible. “My MAGA opponent says he’s running to be Trump’s ally,” he said. “I’m running to fight for Fairfax families and deliver for our community.”
