Early voting exceeds 2021 total in Alexandria ahead of Tuesday's election
City recorded 29,611 early ballots as Virginia surpassed 1.4 million statewide
Alexandria voters cast more early ballots in this election cycle than in all of 2021, with early voting ending Saturday after a 45-day period that saw strong and consistent turnout.
Alexandria recorded 29,611 early votes as of Nov. 2 — 23.5% more than the 23,976 ballots cast at the same point in 2021, two days before that election, according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project. Of those ballots, 22,051 were cast in person and 7,560 by mail.
By the end of the early voting period, Alexandria’s total surpassed the 25,475 early votes cast during the entire 2021 cycle by 16%.
The surge in early voting reflects a statewide trend, with Virginia recording 1,431,975 early votes as of Nov. 2 — nearly 25% more than the 1,148,356 cast at the same point in 2021. Statewide, 1,132,092 votes were cast in person and 301,335 by mail through the end of early voting.
The final days of early voting saw particularly heavy traffic as voters took advantage of the final weekend to cast ballots before Tuesday’s election.
Alexandria recorded 258.9 early votes per 1,000 registered voters, compared to 236.9 in Northern Virginia and 241.1 statewide, according to data from the Virginia Department of Elections.
The Nov. 4 general election includes races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, House of Delegates, commonwealth’s attorney, and sheriff. Democrat Abigail Spanberger faces Republican Winsome Earle-Sears in the closely watched governor’s race, while Democrat Ghazala Hashmi is running against Republican John Reid for lieutenant governor, and Democrat Jay Jones faces Republican Jason Miyares for attorney general.
In the House of Delegates, Democrat Alfonso Lopez is running in the 3rd District, Democrat Charniele Herring in the 4th District, and Democrat Elizabeth Bennett-Parker in the 5th District. Bryan Porter is running unopposed for commonwealth’s attorney, and Sean Casey for sheriff.
Polls will be open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters should go to their assigned polling place, which can be found at vote.elections.virginia.gov or by calling 703-746-4050.
Voters who missed the Oct. 24 voter registration deadline can still register and vote using same-day registration at their assigned polling place on Election Day. Those using same-day registration will cast provisional ballots, which will be verified and counted after Election Day.
Ballot drop boxes will be available at all polling places from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. A secure outdoor drop box under video surveillance is available 24 hours a day at the Office of Voter Registration and Elections at 132 N. Royal St. through 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Voters must bring an acceptable form of photo identification to vote in person. Acceptable IDs include a Virginia driver’s license, U.S. passport, employer-issued photo ID, student ID from a Virginia college or university, or other government-issued photo ID.
More information is available at alexandriava.gov/Elections or by calling 703-746-4050.