November Newsletter
Dear friend –
Welcome to November! With all eyes on Tuesday, I wanted to make sure you have all the information you need to cast your ballot on or before 11/05 (if you haven’t already!). This information is intended for Fairfax County voters, but much of this information applies statewide. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about voting:
EARLY VOTING
VOTE BY MAIL:
The deadline has now passed to request a mail-in ballot, but if you requested yours before the deadline and haven’t returned it yet, here is what you need to know:
(1) Mail it back to your local Office of Elections (must be postmarked no later than 11/5/24 and received by 11/8/24) – for Fairfax County voters, that address is: Fairfax County Office of Elections, 12000 Government Center Parkway Suite 323, Fairfax, VA, 22035
** OR **
(2) Drop it off at any one of these locations before 7pm on Election Day:
Fairfax County Government Center, available 24/7;
Fairfax County Office of Elections, during office hours;
Any early voting location, during opening hours; or
On Election Day at any precinct polling location, 6am-7pm.
VOTE EARLY IN PERSON:
Today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday) are the last two days you can vote early in person. Here are times and locations for our Fairfax County early voting locations (registered voters in Fairfax County who have not already cast a ballot can vote at any of these locations):
** Friday, 11/01 from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm and Saturday, 11/02 from 9:00 am to 5:00pm **
Fairfax County Government Center: 12000 Government Center Pkwy, Room 251, Fairfax, VA 22035
** Friday, 11/01 from 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm and Saturday, 11/02 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm **
Mt. Vernon Governmental Center: 2511 Parkers Lane, Alexandria, 22306
North County Governmental Center: 1801 Cameron Glen Drive, Reston, 20190
Burke Centre Library: 5935 Freds Oak Road, Burke 22015
Centreville Regional Library: 14200 St. Germain Drive, Centreville 20121
Franconia Governmental Center: 6121 Franconia Rd, Alexandria 22310
Great Falls Library: 9830 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls 22066
Herndon Fortnightly Library: 768 Center Street, Herndon 20170
Lorton Community Center: 9520 Richmond Highway, Lorton 22079
Mason Governmental Center: 6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale 22003
McLean Governmental Center: 1437 Balls Hill Rd, McLean 22101
Jim Scott (formerly Providence) Community Center: 3001 Vaden Drive, Fairfax 22031
Sully Governmental Center: 4900 Stonecroft Boulevard, Chantilly 20151
Thomas Jefferson Library: 7415 Arlington Blvd, Falls Church 22042
Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library: 7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church 22043
West Springfield Governmental Center: 6140 Rolling Road, Springfield 22152
VOTE ON ELECTION DAY - TUESDAY, NOV. 5:
Polls will be open from 6am until 7pm on Tuesday, November 5th! If you are in line when polls close, make sure you stay in line and cast your ballot. Check your polling place and confirm your registration status via the Department of Elections Citizen Portal.
FORGOT TO REGISTER OR UPDATE YOUR REGISTRATION? NO PROBLEM!
Same day registration is available on Election Day for eligible voters who have not already cast a ballot. Look up your polling place using this tool. At your polling place, you will have the opportunity to register. You will be given a provisional ballot, which will be counted once the registrar’s office has cross-checked your eligibility and confirmed that you have not already cast a ballot elsewhere.
A NOTE ON THE YOUNGKIN VOTER PURGE
You may have heard the back and forth over the last two weeks about the Youngkin Administration’s illegal voter purge. Without getting into the weeds – if you or someone you know was impacted, please know that all eligible voters who have not already cast a ballot in this election will be able to register on Election Day and cast a ballot at their polling place. More information about same day registration is available here. There is a polling place lookup tool here.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Our first deadlines of the 2025 General Assembly session are coming up! November 25 marks the last day to submit prefiled bill draft requests to the awesome team of attorneys at the Division of Legislative Services. They do incredible work on really short timelines and I cannot overstate how grateful my colleagues and I are for their meticulous work.
Here are our upcoming legislative deadlines:
Nov. 18: Last day for committees to act on legislation continued from the 2024 Regular Session by midnight.
Nov. 25: All requests for drafts of legislation to be prefiled to DLS by 5:00 p.m.
Dec. 31: All drafts of legislation to be prefiled available for review by midnight.
Jan. 3: - All requests for drafts, redrafts, and corrections of legislation creating or continuing a study to DLS by 5:00 p.m.; All requests for redrafts and corrections for legislation to be prefiled to DLS by 5:00 p.m.
Jan. 7: All drafts of legislation to be prefiled available by noon.
Jan. 8: Prefiling ends at 10 a.m.
House of Delegates members are limited to 15 bills in 2025 (short session!) but we are well underway in our policy development work with a great mix of legislative priorities we’ve heard about from our community.
OUT AND ABOUT
I had the opportunity to head out to Charlottesville for two very special events: a “lunch and learn” with UVA students focused on Asian American and Pacific Islander civic engagement in 2024 and beyond, and the investiture of Jasmine Yoon, who was sworn in as Virginia’s first Asian American federal judge.
It was such a thrill to join Amazon Web Services for their annual Girls in Tech Day, celebrating hundreds of young women from across northern Virginia and their desire to gain more tech skills!
I loved joining my friend and colleague, Delegate Kathy Tran, for a Vietnamese American Economic Round Table with AAPI small business owners.
Always a thrill to join friends from across Fairfax County for the annual Democratic Asian Americans of Virginia Diwali celebration!
I got to join some constituent volunteers with the Fairfax County's Fairfax County Park Authority Tree Rescuers to do some invasive plant removal and learn about some of the invasive plant species that are affecting our community.
I am a big proponent of credit unions and everything they do for our communities! I was honored to address representatives from credit unions from across our region during their annual legislative reception.
Our 2024 Build Your Own Bill workshop was a huge success! We had participants from across the 8th district and beyond and we discussed about a dozen bill ideas and the many ways that we can work within our legislative system to enact progress and change.
During our October Commission on Youth, we discussed our ongoing review of Virginia’s special education dispute resolution system, the use and impact of relief of custody on care and support of youth, and kinship care and the implementation of the parental child safety placement program.
The Closet in downtown Herndon is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year! I was so excited to present a special resolution that passed both the House and Senate unanimously commending them for their wonderful service to our community.
I really enjoyed the opportunity to participate in a memory care roundtable with US Senator Mark Warner alongside healthcare providers, caregivers, and patient advocates as we consider how we can ensure adequate, timely, and compassionate care for those diagnosed with Alzheimers and other dementia related diseases.
My VAAPIC colleagues and I had a great time traveling to Virginia Beach to help rally volunteers and launch a canvass for Kamala Harris, Tim Kaine and Missy Cotter Smasal!
I joined my colleagues and neighbors from across Fairfax at the No Fairfax Casino Community Forum, adding my voice to the many community members who are opposed to the proposal to bring a casino to Fairfax County.
I was glad to join my colleagues for a meeting of the Pandemic Response and Preparedness Joint Subcommittee in Richmond, where we received an update on the survey and data collection process that will feed into the final Subcommittee report and policy recommendations.
HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY
💜 The Northern Virginia Dementia Care Consortium is holding the 38th Annual Caregiver's Conference on Saturday, November 2. This conference – the largest dementia conference in the region – is a great opportunity for family and professional caregivers to enhance caregiving skills and network with others in the community. More information here.
🎉 The 2024 Herndon Homecoming Parade will be held on Saturday, November 9! This year’s theme is Out of This World. Will I see you there?! More information about the parade and all the street closures you might want to keep in mind is available here.
🇺🇲 The annual American Legion Post 184 Veterans Day Ceremony will be held from 11am-12pm on Monday, November 11 at Chestnut Grove Cemetery.
♀️ On Tuesday, November 12, I am partnering with the Fairfax County Commission on Women for a special Women’s Roundtable event as we look ahead to the 2025 General Assembly. We look forward to engaging in meaningful dialogue about the issues that women in the northern Virginia region face and work towards solutions to build a region where all women can thrive. Light snacks and beverages will be provided. The event will kick off at 6:30pm at the Fairfax County Government Center. RSVP here.
🚪 The Closet Everything Christmas Sale is scheduled for Friday, November 15! Support our wonderful community while also getting a head start on your Christmas shopping. More information here.
🦃 The Herndon Parks and Recreation Turkey Trot 5k is back! This year, it will take place on Saturday, November 23 starting at 4 PM. More information here.
🍂 The Town of Herndon’s leaf collection efforts are underway. On a rotating weekly schedule, Town crews will pick up yard waste through the week of Dec. 9. More information can be found here. Fairfax County residents outside of the Town can find the County’s schedule for leaf collection here.
🎁 The Rotary Club of Herndon-Reston is working hard again this year to fulfill all the wish lists submitted by families at Clearview ES, a Title 1 school in our community. This year, they are expecting to work with nearly 200 children who need warm clothing and gifts to make their holiday special. There are two ways to participate: shop a wish list or donate to the gift card fund so that the Rotary Club can make purchases from the children’s wish lists. For more information, email hrrotarycommunityservice@gmail.com.
KEEP IN TOUCH!
It is always wonderful to hear from you! Please call my office at 804-698-1008 or email delishin@house.virginia.gov anytime to schedule a visit or to let me know what’s on your mind. My door is always open, and my team and I remain ready to assist you however we can. We are grateful for the honor of serving you and our district. Thank you for trusting me to represent the priorities of our community and Commonwealth.