ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Early voting for the Nov. 3 general election opens Friday at the Office of Voter Registration and Elections, 132 N. Royal St., Suite 100. Any registered Virginia voter may cast a ballot before Election Day without giving a reason.
The ballot carries races for U.S. Senate and the 8th District seat in the U.S. House, along with three proposed amendments to the Virginia Constitution. No city offices are up this year; the next election for mayor, City Council and School Board is Nov. 2, 2027.
Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, seeking a fourth term, faces Republican Bert Mizusawa, a retired Army major general who won a three-way primary Aug. 4. Four candidates are running in the 8th District: Democratic Rep. Don Beyer, who has held the seat since 2015; Republican Tony Sabio; Libertarian Shelly Arnoldi; and independent Tim Sharman.
Where and when
The Royal Street office is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed Oct. 12 for Indigenous Peoples Day.
It adds weekend and evening hours in the final two weeks:
- Sunday, Oct. 18, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sunday, Oct. 25, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Monday through Thursday, Oct. 26-29, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A second site at the Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library, 5005 Duke St., opens on selected dates only:
- Sunday, Oct. 18, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Friday, Oct. 23, 1 to 5 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sunday, Oct. 25, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Monday through Thursday, Oct. 26-29, 1 to 7 p.m.
- Friday, Oct. 30, 1 to 5 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In-person early voting ends at 5 p.m. Oct. 31. No appointment is needed.
The three amendments
The amendments passed the General Assembly in two consecutive sessions and were sent to referendum by Gov. Abigail Spanberger in February. Votes on the abortion and voting rights measures fell largely along party lines, with Democrats in favor. The marriage amendment drew some Republican support as well.
As worded on the ballot, Question 1 asks whether the constitution should protect decisions about prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion, miscarriage management and fertility care; protect doctors, nurses and patients from punishment over those decisions; and allow restrictions on third-trimester abortion except when the patient's health is at risk or the pregnancy cannot survive.
Question 2 asks whether to remove the constitution's ban on same-sex marriage, affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender or race, and require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law.
Question 3 asks whether to establish a fundamental right to vote, automatically restore voting rights to people convicted of felonies upon release from incarceration, and replace the prohibition on voting by people found mentally incompetent with one applying to people found to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting.
Voting by mail
Applications for a mail ballot must reach the elections office by 5 p.m. Oct. 23. Voters can apply online at vote.elections.virginia.gov, download an application from the city's elections page, or call 703-746-4050 to have one mailed. Applications can also be faxed to 703-746-4540 or emailed to VoteAbsentee@alexandriava.gov.
Completed ballots must be back at the elections office by 7 p.m. Nov. 3, or postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by noon Friday, Nov. 6.
Voters who request a mail ballot and then decide to vote in person should bring the mail ballot with them to surrender at the voting location.
Drop boxes
A secure outdoor drop box sits in front of the elections office on North Royal Street, under video surveillance and available around the clock through 7 p.m. on Election Day. Beatley Library will have a drop box during its early voting hours, and every polling place will have one Nov. 3 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Registering, and four new polling places
The deadline to register or update an address is Oct. 23. After that, same-day registration runs through Election Day. Voters can register, check their status or update a registration at vote.elections.virginia.gov.
Four precincts vote somewhere new this year. Blessed Sacrament voters now go to North Quaker, 1801 N. Quaker St. The View has moved to Hope Way, 2800 Hope Way. City Hall voters now go to Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy, 530 S. Saint Asaph St. And George Mason School has moved to Trinity Church, 2911 Cameron Mills Road.
Sample ballots, precinct maps and ID requirements are at alexandriava.gov/Elections. The elections office can be reached at voters@alexandriava.gov or 703-746-4050.
Ryan Belmore is an Alexandria resident and the founder and publisher of The Alexandria Brief. Send tips, feedback, and story ideas to ryan@alexandriabrief.com.
