Redistricting Committee to Recommend Renaming Board of Supervisors Districts

Fairfax County may rename its local election districts for the Board of Supervisors and School Board.

In new effort just begun in mid-January, the Redistricting Advisory Committee will review these names with a focus on social and racial equity, as tasked by the Board of Supervisors. The committee will make its recommendations by March 1 on any districts that should be renamed — but the group will not propose any new names.

Ultimately, the Board of Supervisors will decide if they will rename any districts, as well as determine the public process for choosing new names.

Evaluation Criteria

The committee is using seven criteria to determine if names warrant evaluation and discussion. These criteria include if a name is:

• Geographically confusing or not representative of the district
• Historically significant
• Offensive
• Associated with the Confederacy, segregation, Jim Crow, racism, discrimination or slave ownership

At their Jan. 18 meeting, the group selected the following districts for further consideration using their criteria:

• Lee
• Mason
• Mount Vernon
• Springfield
• Sully

Current District Names

The are nine districts that are currently named:

• Braddock
• Dranesville
• Hunter Mill
• Lee
• Mason
• Mount Vernon
• Providence
• Sully
• Springfield

Some of these names were first established in 1870 and other names were picked later in the 20th century, according to a research report by the Fairfax County Public Library’s Virginia Room.

For example, Mason District was named in honor of George Mason, the author of the Bill of Rights. Sully District was named after the Sully Historic Site while Springfield was named after the community.

Provide Input

The committee wants input from residents, civic groups, businesses and others. The public is invited to provide their feedback on districts they think should or shouldn’t be renamed, express their agreement or disagreement or explain any community or economic impacts resulting from renaming.

There are three easy ways to offer input:

• Email the committee
• Submit your comments through an online form
• Share your thoughts during any of the committee’s virtual meetings