Photo courtesy of City of Alexandria
Early special election voting is underway in Alexandria.
Early voting is underway in Alexandria for the vacant Alexandria City Council seat and the Statewide Proposed Constitutional Amendment.
Here's a look at voting so far, by the numbers:
1. Mail-In voting: Of 15,691 ballots sent out for mail-in voting, 5,157 have been returned; Alexandria is awaiting the return of 4,623 mail-in ballots.
2. Early in-person voting: 5,442
Virginia Public Access Project estimates Alexandria voting at about 10% so far of registered voters. The highest percentage across Virginia, is nearly 27% in Matthews County, located in Virginia's Middle Peninsula/Tidewater area, described as "solidly Republican."
See the percentage of registered voters participation so far on the proposed constitutional amendment, broken down by city and county across Virginia, on the Virginia Public Access Project website here.
Also on the ballot in Alexandria: There are three candidates running for Alexandria City Council:
- Sandy O. Marks, a Democrat
- Frank H. Fannon, running as an Independent
- Alison Virginia O'Connell, running as an Independent
Marks was the winner in an earlier special Democratic primary, seeing 39.57% of the vote in a five-person race.
The winner in the April 21 election will fill a City Council unexpired term to end Dec. 31, 2027. The seat was previously held by Kirk McPike, who recently won a special election for state delegate.
Congressional districts question
In addition to the City Council special election, Alexandria voters will also be answering "yes" or "no" on the Question: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia's standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?
For nonpartisan information on the topic, visit the VPAP website.
Important Dates for the April 21, 2026, Special Election in Alexandria:
- Early voting continues: Through Saturday, April 18, 2026 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Office of Voter Registration & Elections, 132 North Royal St., Alexandria, Suite 100. Additional information is available here and on the City Early Voting page.
Weekend and late hours are: Saturday, April 11, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, April 12, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Monday, April 13, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; Tuesday, April 14, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; Wednesday, April 15, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; Thursday, April 16, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; Friday, April 17, (normal hours); Saturday, April 18, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
- The last day to register to vote or update existing registration: Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
- Same day registration begins: Once the deadline to register or update existing registration has passed.
- Last day to apply for a by-mail ballot: 5 p.m. on Friday, April 10, 2026.
- Election Day: Tuesday, April 21, 2026 (polls open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
- Mail ballots returned by mail must be: Postmarked on or before April 21, 2026, and received by 12 p.m. on Friday, April 24, 2026.
