Fairfax judges reject GOP pick for electoral board

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Fairfax County judges have taken the unusual step of rejecting Republicans' preferred pick to serve on the county's three-member electoral board.

The judges' decision to reject Hans von Spakovsky's re-appointment comes after Democrats complained that von Spakovsky, a former Federal Elections Commissioner, had pursued a partisan agenda in his first board term.

The county GOP submitted three names to the conference of judges, with von Spakovsky listed as a preferred choice. Instead, the judges selected Republican Brian Schoeneman (SHAY'-neh-mann).

Virginia law gives two of three seats on county electoral boards to the party that occupies the governor's mansion.

Von Spakovsky, known as an advocate for tougher voter ID laws, said the judges' rejection of his nomination breaks a longstanding tradition in which the judges showed deference to the party's preference.