County of Fairfax, Virginia

To protect and enrich the quality of life for the people, neighborhoods and diverse communities of Fairfax
County

Electoral Board
Seth T. Stark
Chairman
Stephen M. Hunt
Vice Chairman
Brian W. Schoeneman
Secretary
------------General Registrar
Cameron P. Quinn

January 20, 2015

The Honorable Dennis J. Smith
Chief Judge,
Fairfax County Circuit Court
4110 Chain Bridge Road
Fairfax, VA 22030
Matt Ames, Esq.
Chairman,
Fairfax County Republican Committee
4246 Chain Bridge Road
Fairfax, VA 22030
This letter is to inform you that I hereby resign from the Fairfax County
Electoral Board, effective January 23, 2015.
It has been an honor to serve the voters of Fairfax County, as both Vice
Chairman and as Secretary of the Fairfax County Electoral Board. As you both know,
I did not expect to be appointed to this position, but I was pleased that the Circuit
Court had sufficient faith in my abilities to select me for this appointment. I hope that
they believe their faith in me has been well-placed.
I strongly believe that I leave the Electoral Board and the Office of Elections in
significantly better shape than when I found it.
When I entered service in March 2013, both the Electoral Board and the Office
of Elections in Fairfax County were emerging from a very challenging general election
in 2012. Voters were concerned about a variety of issues that arose during the
presidential election, from long lines in various polling places to concerns about voting
equipment, voter fraud and allocation of election officers, among other things. The
Board was also engaged in litigation as a result of allegations arising from the 2012
general election.
Over the next year and ten months, we have made considerable progress in
resolving the concerns that were raised after 2012. Among the accomplishments of
the Electoral Board and the Office of Elections during my tenure are:

The effective and efficient handling of nine elections, including two

November general elections in 2013 and 2014, and three special elections;

Schoeneman Resignation Letter Page 2

Efficiently handling the closest statewide recount in Virginia, and the first

recount in the county with a majority of votes cast by electronically

scanned paper ballots;
The purchase and smooth implementation of a brand new, comprehensive
voting system for the County, including first-in-the-nation use of a state-of-
the-art ballot marking device for our disability community voters;
An expansion of absentee in-person voting, including the first use of
satellite voting locations for elections other than November general
elections in Fairfax County;
The smooth implementation of the General Assemblys new photo
identification requirements for voting, including an innovative use of
technology that allowed us to provide over 90 opportunities across the
county to supplement the opportunities during virtually all hours all
satellite absentee locations were open, for Fairfax voters who needed a free
ID for voting purposes to receive one;
A significant focus on transparency, including the posting of all standing
policy decisions of the Electoral Board on the Fairfax County website, the
first time this was done by any locality in the Commonwealth;
Innovative use of social media, including Twitter and Facebook, which
garnered national media attention and accolades within the Election
Administration community;
The deployment of a map-based precinct election results reporting system,
one of the only such systems used by a locality in Virginia most localities
rely on the Virginia Department of Elections for results reporting;
Voluntary expansion of our election outreach material language
translations to include Korean and Vietnamese, in addition to the legally
required English and Spanish;
Coordination with law enforcement to investigate and prosecute alleged
instances of voting fraud that were discovered in the County;
A reorganization of the Office of Elections, including the hiring of additional
full time staff.

Fairfax County is blessed with having some of the most experienced and dedicated
election administrators in the Commonwealth. We are also blessed with the Board of
Supervisors who have made elections a priority, providing the Office and the Board with the
resources we need to continue to serve the voters of Fairfax County and providing them with
the election experience they expect, demand, and deserve.
While this job has been extremely challenging, it has also been extremely rewarding. I
am pleased to have been able to serve the voters of the County on the Board and I hope that I
have demonstrated through my actions on the Board and the policies we have adopted under
my leadership our commitment to ensuring that every voter in Fairfax County could exercise
their constitutionally protected right to vote in a safe, efficient and secure manner, and that the
right to vote was not abridged or denied to anyone unlawfully or for partisan purposes.
Office of Elections
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 323
Fairfax, Virginia 22035-0081
Phone: (703) 222-0776 FAX: (703) 324-2205 TTY: 711 (Virginia Relay)
E-Mail: voting@fairfaxcounty.gov/eb WEB: www.fairfaxcounty.gov/eb

Schoeneman Resignation Letter Page 3

Since joining

the Board, I have been able to accomplish almost all of the goals I wanted
to accomplish when I was first appointed. I am confident that my successor and the rest of the
Board will continue the progress we have begun and that the 2016 Presidential Election will
not see a repeat of the issues that marred the 2012 Presidential Election.
I remain committed to public service, and the purpose of my resignation is so that I may
seek elected office. It is my intention to place my name before the voters for the position of
Sully District Supervisor, to succeed Supervisor Michael Frey, who is retiring after over three
decades of dedicated service to Fairfax County.
Again, I would like to thank both the Circuit Court and the Fairfax County Republican
Committee for the opportunity to serve, and I look forward to continuing to serve the citizens
of Fairfax County in the future.
Sincerely,

Brian W. Schoeneman, Esq.

Office of Elections
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 323
Fairfax, Virginia 22035-0081
Phone: (703) 222-0776 FAX: (703) 324-2205 TTY: 711 (Virginia Relay)
E-Mail: voting@fairfaxcounty.gov/eb WEB: www.fairfaxcounty.gov/eb