From 'No choice provided' to Derek Jeter: What Alexandria voters wrote in for commonwealth's attorney
In another uncontested race, 1,808 Alexandria voters used write-ins to register protest or imagine alternatives
Bryan Porter ran unopposed for his fourth term as Alexandria Commonwealth’s Attorney in the November 4 election, securing the position with 49,197 votes. But 1,808 Alexandria voters—3.5% of all votes cast—chose to write in someone else entirely.
The write-in ballots in this down-ballot prosecutorial race reveal patterns similar to the Sheriff contest, where voters facing no alternative on the ballot used their write-ins to protest, joke, or nominate people they wished were running.
The rejection vote
Unlike the Sheriff race, where ICE controversy drove pointed protest votes, the Commonwealth’s Attorney write-ins showed more generalized dissatisfaction with the lack of choice.
“None of these candidates” appeared on at least one ballot—a straightforward expression of discontent despite only one candidate appearing on the ballot.
“No choice provided” read another, explicitly naming the problem: voters arrived at this race with no decision to make.
“N/A” and “NA” appeared multiple times, as did simple blank write-ins where voters filled the bubble but wrote nothing.
“Other” appeared on at least one ballot, suggesting a voter who wanted literally anyone else.
The rejection votes in this race appear less about Porter specifically and more about the democratic process itself—voters uncomfortable rubber-stamping an unopposed incumbent without the opportunity to consider alternatives.
Personal names
Most write-ins appear to be personal names, likely friends, family, or people the voter knows:
William C. Cleveland (also appeared as a write-in for Sheriff)
Tyler Martinez (also appeared as a write-in for Sheriff)
Nicole P. Willis
Katherine G.M. Barber-Goodwin
Matt Gaetz (possibly the controversial Florida congressman)
Erin Kriynovich
Carlota Redondo
Thomas Savino
Dale Rizzo
“J. Doe”
Several names appeared in both the Sheriff and Commonwealth’s Attorney races, suggesting some voters used the same write-in name across multiple uncontested races.
Pop culture
At least one voter went with a celebrity choice:
Derek Jeter — The legendary New York Yankees shortstop, apparently now being nominated for Alexandria’s top prosecutor position
Voting methods
The 1,808 Alexandria write-ins for Commonwealth’s Attorney came through:
630 in early voting (35%)
1,007 on Election Day (56%)
130 by mail (7%)
31 provisional (2%)
10 post-election (1%)
Similar to the Sheriff race, more than half of write-in voters cast their ballots on Election Day, compared to Porter’s supporters, where only 50% voted on Election Day.
What it means
The write-in patterns in this uncontested prosecutorial race reveal several dynamics:
Parallel protest to Sheriff race: The 3.5% write-in rate for Commonwealth’s Attorney closely mirrors the 3.7% write-in rate for Sheriff, suggesting a consistent segment of Alexandria voters who refuse to vote in uncontested races without registering their discontent.
Less pointed opposition: Unlike the Sheriff race, where specific protest votes targeted ICE cooperation, the Commonwealth’s Attorney write-ins showed more generalized “none of the above” sentiment rather than policy-specific criticism.
Democratic deficit: Porter has never faced opposition in any of his four elections (2014, 2017, 2021, 2025). The write-in activity suggests some voters view this lack of competition as problematic, even if they don’t necessarily oppose Porter himself.
Same voters, different races: Several names appearing in both the Sheriff and Commonwealth’s Attorney write-ins suggest some voters systematically wrote in the same name across all uncontested races, using their ballot as a form of consistent protest.
Virginia write-in law
For a write-in vote to count toward a candidate’s official total in Virginia, that person must register as a write-in candidate with the state before the election. Since none of these write-in candidates registered, their votes are tallied and recorded but don’t affect the official outcome.
The votes are preserved in these write-in assignment documents for transparency and to comply with state election record-keeping requirements.
METHODOLOGY NOTE: This analysis is based on my review of Alexandria’s official write-in assignment document from the Nov. 4, 2025, general election for Commonwealth’s Attorney, which contains images of write-in ballots requiring adjudication. The document shows 1,797 ballot images across 139 pages. The official results show 1,808 total write-in votes, with the 11-vote difference likely representing write-ins that were clearly legible and didn’t require adjudication review. Some handwriting was difficult to decipher, and some names may be spelled phonetically. All totals are from official Alexandria election results.
