Board reviews ballot-on-demand pilot, backup printing and resource allocations for back-to-back special elections

Fairfax County election staff told the Electoral Board on Jan. 7 that a pilot to rely on ballot-on-demand strategies was successful and that contingency measures are in place in case precinct turnout exceeds expectations.

The registrar and staff described resource allocations for the next three special elections, including plans to have two voting machines and two accessible machines at each site, a minimum of five election officers per precinct for special elections, and high-speed printers on standby. "We could print thousands per hour," staff said, describing the contingency capacity. The staff emphasized that logic and accuracy testing is performed on every voting device for each election.

Board members discussed the pilot results and packaging logistics for printing and distributing ballots. Staff said the pilot did not require extra printed ballots during the trial and that printing on demand at precincts remains a viable backup. The board also reviewed training and the approach to keep staffing consistent across repeated special contests.

No new expenditures or contracts were approved at the meeting; staff will proceed with current allocations and operational contingencies for the upcoming elections.