In 2016, Alexandria’s Office of Voter Registrations and Elections sent out 1,668 absentee ballots by mail in September. This year, there are 18,498 applicants already signed up.
“We have definitely seen a large increase in absentee by mail ballot requests,” said Angie Maniglia Turner, Alexandria’s new General Registrar. “[As of] this morning we’ve had 18,498 applications processed and they’re coming in every moment. This year is going to be very unique.”
The list of pivotal Alexandria women is long, and starting this weekend a new local nonprofit will lead the city in honoring the 100 year anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment.
Living Legend Pat Miller recently founded Alexandria Celebrates Women with the goal of honoring Alexandria’s women of the past, present and future.
Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson warned that this November’s election could look very different from elections in the past, and encouraged residents to request mail-in ballots if possible.
“We absolutely encourage residents to vote by mail if they can or take advantage of some of the in-person absentee voting that will become available,” Wilson said in a town hall meeting last night. “This is the first election in Virginia history where no excuse is required for absentee balloting. You can say you would like a mail ballot and you can get one.”
Alexandrian Killed in D.C. Shooting — “Metropolitan Police identified Montrell Lucas, 18, of Alexandria, as one of two victims who were killed Tuesday night. Police responded to the 1600 block of Maryland Avenue Northeast around 8:46 p.m. for a report of a shooting and found three victims.” [Patch]
D.C. Company Sends Out Incomplete Ballot Applications — “Judith, a city of Alexandria resident, received the letter, which includes a partially completed application for a mail-in voting ballot and a pre-addressed and prepaid envelope to send the application to her registrar’s office. But her ballot application would have gone to the wrong address.” [NBC4]
Alexandria’s Congressman Don Beyer is still working from home, and he’s not happy. He says is office is constantly inundated with calls from constituents angry about a host of issues.
“Did you watch that farce of a speech in the Rose Garden?” Beyer asked ALXnow over the phone. “It was pretty outrageous. You know, it depends on the day, but generally the phone rings off the hook from constituents. Ninety percent of our calls are from people upset with what’s happening with the White House, and since there is a new outrage every day – it’s literally day by day.”
GoFundMe for Abysinnia Raises Money After Face Mask Incident— “From the two waves of giving, the campaign has raised more than $15,500 of a $20,000 goal.” [Alexandria Living]
Fitness Centers Reopen Cautiously — “Now that the state is in phase three of reopening, fitness studios are allowed to open at 75% capacity, although there must still be 10 feet of distance between each client, which limits smaller studios.” [Alex Times]
Former Vice President Joe Biden had a strong showing on Super Tuesday in Virginia and in Alexandria — where he won every precinct and 54% of the vote — but Alexandria’s second choice was not as clear cut and broke down along geographic lines.
Both senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders were neck-and-neck with 18% of the vote, with Bloomberg trailing in fourth with 10% of the city’s vote, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.
Alexandria voters resoundingly chose former Vice President Joe Biden as their Democratic nominee for president on Super Tuesday.
Biden took Virginia with 54.22% of the 1.3 million votes cast across the state, and also won half of the city’s votes, which nearly doubled in participation since the last presidential primary in 2016. Virginia is one of 14 states that participated in Tuesday’s primary contest.
Alexandrians are on pace to cast ballots in significantly greater numbers today than during the 2016 Democratic presidential primary.
Thousands of Alexandria residents have participated in the presidential primary day in Virginia, which joins 13 other states across the country in the race for the Democratic candidate to face off against President Donald Trump, in November.
Former Vice President Joe Biden won the Alexandria Democratic Committee’s nearly annual straw poll on Sunday.
The event, which was attended by more than 100 people at Lost Boy Cider, is the first indicator of how Alexandria might turn out in the run up to Tuesday’s primary. Virginia is one of 15 states participating in Super Tuesday primary on March 3.
Schools Preparing for Coronavirus — “ACPS has partnered with the Alexandria City Health Department and local first responders to form a COVID-19 Task Force Planning Committee to work closely to monitor this evolving situation. We plan to provide updates as we progress with this planning and work.” [ACPS]
Reminder: Primary Day is Tomorrow — “On Tuesday, March 3, there will be a Democratic Party presidential primary election in the City of Alexandria. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.” [City of Alexandria]
