For the first time in nearly a decade, the Fairfax County Electoral Board’s composition is switching from two Democrats and one Republican to two Republicans and one Democrat.
Jeffrey Shapiro has been appointed to the body by the Circuit Court for a three-year term beginning Jan. 1, upon recommendation of the Fairfax County Republican Committee.
He succeeds Democrat Bettina Lawton, whose term expired, and joins Democrat Kate Hanley and Republican Christopher Henzel.
Under state law, the party that controls the governorship is entitled to two of the three seats on each local electoral board. Following Republican Glenn Youngkin succeeding Democrat Ralph Northam in January 2022, the first Democrat on each of Virginia’s 133 local electoral boards whose term expired has been, or will be, replaced by a Republican.
Shapiro is an attorney in the District of Columbia, whose practice is focused on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s regulation of medical devices. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he also has served in the Office of Legal Counsel in the U.S. Department of Justice.
Shapiro and his family have lived in Fairfax County for 14 years. In recent years, he has begun contributing to the Fairfax County electoral system, serving as an election officer and regularly attending Electoral Board meetings, county-government officials said.