Proposed City of Alexandria Voter Precinct Changes

Proposed Precinct Changes in Alexandria

For Immediate Release: January 30, 2015

The Alexandria Electoral Board will hold a public meeting at the Voter Registration Office (132 North Royal St. Suite 100) on Wednesday, February 4,  at 7:00 p.m., to receive comments on a proposal to add one new precinct and change two polling locations.  The proposed changes would be in place for the June 9, Primary Election and would affect four precincts: Durant Center, Fire Department Headquarters, St. James Church and Chinquapin Recreation Center. 

1.      Addition of Charles Houston Recreation Center. 

Fire Department Headquarters (900 Second St.) and the Durant Center (1605 Cameron St.) have grown considerably with expanded development in the Old Town area, especially near Braddock Metro. The Alexandria Electoral Board proposes adding a new precinct at the Charles Houston Recreation Center  (905 Wythe St.), carved from the center of Fire Department Headquarters and Durant Center precincts with Oronoco as a southern boundary and Patrick Street and First Street as a northern boundary. These changes would reduce the voter size of Fire Department Headquarters and Durant Center (which are close to 4,000 voters each) in preparation for continued population growth in these areas. A map showing the proposed boundaries can be found on the Elections website. 

2.      Hermitage to Replace St. James United Methodist Church

The Hermitage (5000 Fairbanks Ave.) would replace the St. James Methodist Church (5000 Echols Avenue) with no change to precinct boundaries. Due to the proposed residential redevelopment surrounding St. James, it has become important to explore new polling places. The Hermitage facility offers a larger meeting space to hold voting. 

3.      Replace Chinquapin

Currently, voting at Chinquapin (3210 King St.) is held in a small room which presents challenges during large elections. Minnie Howard or T.C. Williams (pending school approval) would replace Chinquapin as a polling location with no change to precinct boundaries.

Residents who are unable to attend the February 4 meeting may submit written remarks to the Voter Registration Office, attn.: Angela Maniglia Turner, Deputy Registrar of Voters, 132 North Royal St., Suite 100, Alexandria, VA 22314 or by email at angela.turner@alexandriava.gov .  

Timeline for Precinct Changes:

•        February 4, 7:00 p.m. Community Meeting 

•        February 6, 9:30 a.m., Electoral Board Meeting - A public meeting will be held at the Voter Registration and Elections Office (132 North Royal St. Suite 100), at which the Electoral Board will finalize its recommendation to City Council.

•        March 10, City Council Meeting.  - The Board’s recommendation will go to City Council for first reading.  If Council votes to proceed, the proposal would go on for a second reading and public hearing, tentatively scheduled for March 14.

If adopted by City Council, the Voter Registration office will notify affected voters of the changes by mail prior to the June 9, 2015, Primary Election. 

For more information, contact Anna Leider, General Registrar, at 703.746.4050 or anna.leider@alexandriava.gov.