Elected officials representing Alexandria have joined the Alexandria NAACP in condemning the Virginia Supreme Court’s overturning of the redistricting referendum.
Voters had narrowly approved the referendum to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts — with 51.69% in favor — on April 21. The Virginia Supreme Court struck down the voter-approved constitutional amendment in a 4-3 ruling Friday (May 8), with the majority citing procedural violations in how the amendment was placed on the ballot.
More than 42% of registered Alexandria voters have headed to the polls to vote on today’s congressional redistricting referendum and a special election for an open seat on Alexandria City Council.
As of 4 p.m., 19,183 voters cast in-person ballots across the city, in addition to 22,836 mail-in and in-person early ballots, adding up to 42,019 total ballots cast, according to figures released by Angie Maniglia Turner, the city’s general registrar and elections director. Turner said she is expecting gubernatorial-level turnout on the decision to amend Virginia’s Constitution to allow the General Assembly to temporarily redraw congressional maps for the upcoming election and resume the normal redistricting process after the 2030 U.S. Census.
Tuesday, April 21 marks Election Day in Alexandria for a statewide redistricting voter referendum and a special election for a City Council seat.
Candidates in the City Council special election are Democrat Sandy Marks and independent candidates Alison O’Connell and Frank Fannon. Marks is the former chair of the Alexandria Democratic Committee, Fannon is a former Republican member of City Council from 2009 to 2012, and O’Connell is a founding member of Alexandria for Palestinian Human Rights.
Numerous pieces of legislation from Alexandria lawmakers are officially set to become law or are heading back to the General Assembly with amendments after action by Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D).
Among the approximately 1,200 bills passed out of the 2026 session, legislation on guns, housing, the national popular vote, energy and immigration enforcement all came by way of state senators and delegates representing Alexandria. Most signed bills will take effect on July 1, 2026, unless otherwise specified.
The Alexandria City School Board approved April 21 as a student holiday as election officials anticipate high turnout for the special election at school-based polling sites. While students will be off, ACPS staff will have a work day.
Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt presented the School Board with the proposal last Thursday (March 26) after a discussion with Alexandria’s election officials. April 21 is the date of the special elections to decide a statewide mid-decade redistricting amendment for Virginia’s congressional districts and fill former Councilman R. Kirk McPike’s City Council seat following his election to Virginia’s 5th House District.
Alexandria voters can begin casting early ballots this Friday to participate in the city’s April 21 special election.
This includes the City Council race and a proposed constitutional amendment to redraw Virginia’s congressional maps.
Cesar Madison Tapia, a D.C. middle school teacher with viral political videos on TikTok, is running for Alexandria City Council.
Madison Tapia announced his candidacy on Friday on Instagram, and he had planned to discuss it during the Alexandria Democratic Committee’s now-canceled meeting tonight (Monday). The 26-year-old candidate teaches social studies at MacFarland Middle School in D.C. and has made hundreds of TikToks discussing politics and criticizing the Trump administration.
Deadlines are approaching for voter registration and mail-in ballot requests to participate in the Feb. 10 special election.
Early in-person voting kicks off this Saturday at the Office of Voter Registration and Elections (132 N. Royal Street, Suite 100). By-mail ballot requests must be received by the office by 5 p.m. this Friday, Jan. 30, while voter registration and updates must be completed by Tuesday, Feb. 3.
This story has been updated to reflect new information from the General Registrar at 4:27 p.m.
As of 4 p.m. today (Tuesday), about 53.4% of registered voters in Alexandria had cast ballots in the general election, according to the city’s top elections official.
As Alexandria voters shuffled to the polls this morning (Tuesday), many said they were casting ballots motivated by the government shutdown and their views on the Trump administration.
At precincts in Old Town, Mount Vernon and near Seminary Hill/Landmark, several voters lamented the shutdown and told ALXnow they do not like the political direction the country is turning toward — a sentiment fueling their ballot box decisions, particularly in Virginia’s gubernatorial election.
Races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and members of the House of Delegates are all on the ballot in Alexandria tomorrow.
The city’s voters are also poised to re-elect incumbent Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter and Sheriff Sean Casey, both of whom are running unopposed.
