Democrats add online voting option for Feb. 21 council primary

Registration open through Friday; in-person voting still available

The Alexandria Democratic Committee is offering online voting for its Feb. 21 firehouse primary, the first time the local party has used the option.

Democrats will nominate a candidate to fill the City Council seat vacated by Kirk McPike, who won election to the House of Delegates on Tuesday. Five candidates are competing: Sandy Marks, Tim Laderach, Roberto Gomez, Charles Costen-Sumpter, and Cesar Madison Tapia.

Voters who want to cast ballots online must register by 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20. ADC volunteers will verify eligibility using the Democratic Party’s VoteBuilder database. Approved voters will receive an email with a unique link to vote on Feb. 21 between 8:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.

The party is using ElectionBuddy, a cloud-based voting platform that the Arlington and Fairfax County Democratic Committees have used for previous elections.

In-person voting will still be available on Feb. 21 from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Beatley Library (5005 Duke St.) and Leonard “Chick” Armstrong Recreation Center (25 W. Reed Ave.).

Voters who register online but later decide to vote in person will have their online ballot invalidated and can cast a paper ballot at the polls.

For assistance, call (703) 549-3367. More information is available at alexdems.org.