James Libresco
Traffic at Mount Vernon Elementary School, typically Alexandria's busiest poll site, was lower than normal.
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After months of grueling campaigns, today is finally the big day for Democrats, independents and Republicans vying for election to city council, Congress, the Senate and the White House. Here is what you need to know:
Polls are open today until 7 p.m., and anyone standing in line before 7 p.m. will be able to vote. For more information, visit the city election webpage.
Democrats typically have a stronghold on Alexandria, one of the nations most liberal cities. But recent changes in city policy, such as the highly controversial Zoning for Housing plan, which cut some restrictions on where multi-family developments can be built, have caused a backlash towards the incumbent Democrats.
There are three non-Democrats running for City Council: Roy Byrd (I), Mason Butler (I) and Celianna Gunderson (R). The odds that any of these candidates win are slim, but there has been a solid show of support for Byrd, as his yard signs are common around Alexandria. Theogony will project the winners of the race later tonight.
All nine candidates sat down with Theogony and the Alexandria Gazette Packet earlier this year. Read their views on the most pressing issues here.
Who is even running?
Voters will decide the fate of races from local school board to U.S. president. Here’s the full list of candidates:
School Board: Nine candidates are running unopposed for school board. In district A: incumbent Chair Michelle Rief, incumbent Tim Beaty and Ryan Reyna. In district B: incumbent Vice Chair Kelly Booz, incumbent Ashley Simpson Baird and Alexander Scioscia. In disctrict C: incumbent Christopher Harris, Donna Kenley and Abdulahi Abdalla. School board is a nonpartisan election.
City Council: Six Democrats, who won a primary race in June, are on the ballot with two independents and one Republican. For a full breakdown of each candidates’ positions, read Theogony’s City Council election guide. The non-Democrats will have a hard time winning in a city dominated by liberals.
Mayor: Democrat Alyia Gaskins is running unopposed for Mayor.
House of Representatives: incumbent Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va., 8th) is facing off against Jerry Torres (R), Bentley Hensel (I) and David Kennedy (I). Beyer is expected to win in a landslide.
Senate: Incumbent Democratic Senator Tim Kaine is running against Republican Hung Kao. Kaine is also expected to win in a landslide.
President: current Vice President Kamala Harris is toe-to-toe with former President Donald Trump. Virginia holds 13 electoral college votes. Although polls previously showed fairly close margins between Kamala Harris (D) and Donald J. Trump (R) in the race for president, Harris has broken away in recent weeks.
Why Virginia Matters: Renowned statistician Nate Silver’s final simulation of the presidential race found that Harris has a 50.01% chance and Trump has a 49.99% chance to become the nation’s 47th president. Harris’s expected margin of victory in Virginia could provide critical indications to Democrats and Republicans of how their candidates will perform in nation’s seven swing states.