Office of Elections

CONTACT INFORMATION: Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
703-324-4740 TTY 711
12000 Government Center Parkway Suite 323
Beth Dixon Methfessel
Clerk to the Electoral Board

Electoral Board Members

In each county and city in Virginia, a three-member Electoral Board is responsible for the proper and orderly conduct of all elections held in their locality. This includes preparation of ballots, administration of absentee ballot provisions, the conduct of the election, and the ascertaining of the results of the election. The Electoral Board is also responsible for appointing a General Registrar/Director of Elections to a term of four years (Va. Code § 24.2-109). Each year one member of the Electoral Board is selected for a three-year term by the Circuit Court from a list of recommendations submitted by the local political parties. Two of the members on the Electoral Board represent the political party that cast the highest number of votes at the last preceding gubernatorial election. The third member represents the party that received the next highest amount of votes (Va. Code §24.2-106).


Photo of Kate Hanley
Hon. Katherine K. Hanley, Chairman

Kate Hanley served as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Providence Supervisor, and member of the Fairfax School Board. More recently, she served on the Board of Directors of the Inova Health System, the Arts Council of Fairfax County, HomeAid Northern Virginia, and Cornerstones. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.  In 2011 she chaired the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ Advisory Committee on Reapportionment, and later co-chaired the Bi-Partisan Election Process Improvement Committee. Hanley earned a B.A. in French Civilization and a B.S. in Secondary Education from the University of Missouri and an M.A.T. from Harvard University.

Photo of Kevin R. Pinkney
Kevin R. Pinkney, Vice Chairman

Kevin R. Pinkney is in the private practice of law in Washington D.C., where he is the government contracts practice group leader for a major national firm. His experience includes public procurement law, grant law, ethics rules and compliance programs, internal investigations, and whistleblower suits, and he also is a nationally-known software license audit expert. Mr. Pinkney graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Brigham Young University, and obtained his juris doctorate from Harvard Law School, subsequently clerking for the Honorable Edith Brown Clement on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Mr. Pinkney and his family have lived in Fairfax County for over twenty years. During that time, he has served extensively in community organizations. He currently serves on the board of a school for children with autism and is a leader in his church community.

Jeffrey K. Shapiro
Jeffrey K. Shapiro, Secretary

Jeffrey K. Shapiro is a practicing lawyer in Washington D.C., focused on the U.S. FDA’s regulation of medical devices.  He has also served in the Office of Legal Counsel in the U.S. Department of Justice.  He is a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Law School.  
 
Mr. Shapiro and his family have lived in Fairfax County for 14 years.  In recent years, Mr. Shapiro has begun contributing to the Fairfax County electoral system, serving as an election officer and regularly attending Electoral Board meetings.  Mr. Shapiro appreciates the importance of fair and well run elections to all citizens of Fairfax County.


Beth Methfessel, Clerk to the Electoral Board

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