I recently won a scholarship for an essay I wrote about protecting our freedom to vote in fair, contested elections. I wrote that democracy is supposed to be loud, visible, and participatory. It’s supposed to give everyone a fair shot at voting for a candidate that best represents their interests. Unfortunately, in Alexandria, we have failed at this. Some of the most important recent political decisions have happened behind closed doors. They’re called firehouse primaries, and they are undermining public trust in our local democracy.

A “firehouse primary” is not a normal state-run election where voters pick the party candidate for the general race. It’s a party-run election held at a limited number of locations. It’s organized quickly, advertised mostly through party channels, and decided by a mere fraction of the electorate. Instead of tens of thousands of voters participating, often only a few thousand turn out, like we’ve seen in Alexandria. They are defended as cost-effective; yet, I’d argue that democracy is not meant to be cheap, but accessible. 

The most recent slew of firehouse primaries are particularly indicative of their undemocratic nature.

When former State Sen. Adam P. Ebbin stepped down to work for Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a firehouse primary was called to replace him. Former Virginia Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker won that election, which triggered another vacancy in the House of Delegates. This led to another primary, which was won by former Alexandria City Councilmember Kirk McPike. His leave then sparked yet another fast election, which Sandy Marks, the former chair of the Alexandria Democratic Committee, won. All this occurred in under two months. 

Yes, in two months, three major political positions changed hands. But most people in this city had no idea these elections were even happening. Civic advocate Bill Rossello said, in his latest article for the Alexandria Times, “Only 3,281 out of about 153,000 registered voters cast a ballot for Bennett-Parker. McPike garnered 1,279 votes in a district of more than 70,000 registered voters. In each case, their support amounted to around 2% of the electorate.” That should disturb us. When decisions of such monumental importance are made without the knowledge of the vast majority, something fundamental is lost: legitimacy.

Firehouse primaries happen so quickly that unless you are already entrenched in the Democratic political machine, you are left behind. There are no large campaigns launched by candidates, there are no widespread mailers to voters, no weeks of media attention. The window for democratic participation opens and closes before the average person can even understand what is at stake.

And here is the part that I can’t stress enough: party insiders know all this.

When you are an elected official, or closely connected to local party leadership, you often know that a resignation is coming before the public does. You can prepare, line up endorsements, quietly fundraise, and organize. By the time the public hears about it, the race is practically over. This is not fair. That is not what democracy looks like. I agree with Rossello in that Ebbin should’ve resigned sooner to give people more time. It is hard to believe this was a last minute thing. 

I want to be clear: the people who won these races are qualified. I know they care deeply about public service. This isn’t about them. This is about a process that shrinks participation, when it should be expanding it. What’s most upsetting to me is that this is the year that the Alexandria City High School graduating class of 2026 will be eligible to vote, and that they will still have to deal with this rigid method of holding primaries. The last thing that people my age need is for them to continue to lose faith in our democracy.

It’s not a secret that the Democrats overwhelmingly dominate general elections in Alexandria. Consequently, when a Democratic primary is a firehouse primary, and is decided by a small, highly engaged slice of the total voters, it essentially determines representation for everyone. Even without everyone having a chance to participate. 

Democracy should not operate behind closed doors and with rushed timelines. Alexandria is full of thoughtful residents, who all deserve to have their voice heard. However, we cannot participate in elections if we do not know they exist. If we believe in transparency, if we believe in equal opportunity, if we believe that our representatives get their power from the consent of the governed, then we must end firehouse primaries. It’s not because we dislike any particular candidate, but because we love democracy more. Bill Rossello said it best: “Their actions show that Alexandria has become a town where democracy can be distorted to an extent that renders it nearly unrecognizable.”

With love for the voice of the majority, 

Darwin Salazar