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Voting Equipment Information

All Fairfax County polling places will be equipped with two types of voting equipment for the upcoming presidential election - optical scan and touch screen.

Optical Scan Voting Machines

Optical Scan Voting Machine Beginning with the November 2008 General Election, Fairfax County introduced the AccuVote™ optical scan voting system at each polling place. These machines “read” a paper ballot marked by the voter. It is expected that the optical scan machines will help reduce the time spent waiting in line at the polling places since more voters can vote at the same time. The Office of Elections will continue to deploy the existing WINvote touch screen machines to all precincts. These machines comply with the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002, Public Law 107-252 (HAVA), which mandates accessible voting devices for blind and visually impaired voters.

However, due to General Assembly legislation in 2007, the County was prohibited from purchasing additional WINvote touch screen voting machines. So, at the Fairfax County Electoral Board’s request, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of the AccuVote™ machines in hopes of better serving the voting public. In reaching its decision, the Electoral Board was aware that the AccuVote optical scan voting system has been used reliably for absentee voting in Fairfax County since 1996.

The following Optical Scan Voting Machine Demonstration Video(s) requires a Media Player in order to be viewed Download Media player.

Touch Screen Voting Machine

Touch Screen Voting Macine In addition to the AccuVote optical scan voting machines, every polling place will also be equipped with WINvote™ machines. The WINvote machines, also known as direct recording electronic (DRE) machines, have been used in Fairfax County since 2003. These touch screen machines are designed to provide voters with disabilities the ability to cast their votes unassisted. Each machine is equipped with an audio headset that enables voters with visual impairments to cast a secret ballot without assistance. This light-weight machine may also be carried outside the polling place for curbside voters.

The following Touch Screen Voting Machine Demonstration Video(s) require a Media Player in order to be viewed Download Media player.

Code of Virginia, §24.2-1009: Stealing or tampering with ballot containers, voting or registration equipment, software, records or documents is a Class 5 felony.

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