Just over a week after election day, all of Alexandria’s ballots have been reported by the Virginia Board of Elections. The last votes to come in were provisional ballots. Alexandria’s polls closed with 68 percent voter turnout, a significant downturn down from 2020’s turnout of roughly 79 percent.

Alexandria voted strongly for Democrats up and down the ballot, with Vice President Harris winning 77 percent of the vote, despite a crushing defeat in the national presidential election. Tim Kaine and Don Beyer retained their seats in the United States Senate and House of Representative, respectively. Alyia Gaskins, who ran unopposed for mayor, won over 93 percent of the vote. All six Democrats running for City Council were victorious, with Sarah Bagley to be the Vice Mayor, winning 14.77 percent of the vote.

Stay tuned for Theogony articles breaking down the Alexandria election in more detail, as well as a comparison between ACHS’ mock election and the real election results.

Sarah Bagley has obtained the most City Council votes, securing her spot on Alexandria’s City Council as well as vice mayor, Theogony can now project. (Although not required by law, the vice mayor traditionally is the candidate who receives the most votes.) Bagley was elected to her first City Council term in 2021, and has served since 2022. Bagley campaigned similarly to her fellow Democrats on most policies, including Zoning for Housing, a second high school, and Duke St. in Motion.

The only votes left to count in Alexandria’s 2024 election cycle are provisional ballots, which take longer to process than other ballots. The margin between incumbent councilmembers Bagley and John Chapman is just 0.25 percent of the vote, and since provisional ballots have never accounted for more than 0.4 percent of the vote in the last five Alexandria election cycles, it is unlikely for provisional ballots to have any final effect here.

Students said there is a despondent energy in the air at Alexandria City High School as the results of the presidential election sink in. The school is located in Alexandria, Va. — one of the nation’s most liberal cities.

“I’m really devastated and shocked,” said senior Charlotte Keeler. “I’m a big advocate for climate change and reproductive rights, and I just feel like Donald Trump is going to undo everything Joe Biden has done.”

Senior Andrei Shiffer said the result represents how America has shifted further to the right.

“I’m just not surprised at this point,” Shiffer said. “It just shows that people don’t care about the policies. All they care about is the idea of a Republican party, and the idea that they should dislike the Democratic party.”

Keeler said she’s worried that momentum picked up by Harris could be lost.

“People are going to start to feel like their efforts don’t matter as much, even though they do,” Keeler said. “They’ll feel that there’s no hope, even when so many people went out to vote and there was all the hype around the election.”

The graphic above shows trends in percentage of total votes for the top-ten candidates, by party affiliation, in each of the last six election cycles dating back to 2009.

Alexandria is heavily liberal, as reflected in the graph by the Democratic blue line which towers over the Republican and Independent lines. In 2018, a notable shift took place, as Alexandrians shifted majorly to the left, sinking a Republican turnout that had been increasing since 2009. Since the shift left in 2018, the results have stayed generally consistent over the last two election cycles.

Republicans, however, have continued to dip. This has allowed, in 2024, for Independents to take a near five point lead over Republicans in vote percentage.

It will be interesting to see whether this trend of increasing Independent success continues in 2027, and what the implications of second Donald J. Trump presidency are for Alexandria’s electorate.

A huge drop of mailed ballots were just added to Alexandria’s election results website. They confirm our projection that Democrats will sweep the races for mayor and City Council. But we’re still waiting on provisional ballots and mailed ballots. The city will accept mailed ballots up until Friday, as long as they were postmarked by Nov. 5., election officials confirmed to me.

Sarah Bagley leads John Chapman by about 600 votes for first place. Both will easily win reelection to City Council, but the real thing to watch is who clinches first place, as that person will become vice mayor. It’s unlikely Chapman takes the lead, but it’s too close to call until we get the final vote count.

In a stunning show of force, Republican Donald J. Trump has handily defeated Democrat Kamala Harris in the race for the presidency. Trump has won or leads in all seven swing states. Race called by the Associated Press.

It’s late — almost 12:30 a.m. — and school is in session tomorrow. We’ll be back with live coverage tomorrow morning.

Democrat Kamala Harris has secured Virginia’s 13 electoral college votes in the race for president. The race was called by the Associated Press.

It’s not a good sign for Harris that it took until past midnight to get a result. Her campaign expected results in Virginia by 10 p.m., and she is only leading by about four points, compared to Biden’s ten point win in 2020. She has an incredibly tough path to the presidency, and hope is dwindling for Democrats across the nation.

Democrat Tim Kaine has been reelected to the U.S. Senate. The race was called by the Associated Press. Serving since 2013, this will be Kaine’s third term in the U.S. Senate.

Democrats in Alexandria have won all six city council seats for the fifth election cycle in a row, Theogony can now project. The six City Council members are: incumbent Canek Aguirre, incumbent Sarah Bagley, incumbent John Chapman, incumbent Kirk McPike, School Board Member Abdel Elnoubi and School Board Member Jacinta Greene. With tens of thousands of mail-in ballots that have not yet been counted, the race for vice mayor remains too close to call, though it seems like it will come down to Bagley and Chapman.

Jacinta Greene and Abdel Elnoubi will be serving their first terms on city council, replacing Democrats Amy Jackson and Alyia Gaskins. Theogony projects Gaskins will be the Alexandria’s next mayor. (She defeated Jackson in the Democratic primary for mayor this past June and ran unopposed in the general election.)

Alexandria has been a liberal city dating back decades, with Democrats holding the mayor’s office for the last 48 years in a row, and the entirety of the city council for the last 12. In 2018, Democrats in Alexandria swept every single polling location. This year, though, three districts voted for non-Democratic candidates, though that will not be nearly enough them

Democratic city council candidates joined the Alexandria Democratic Committee watch party to say a few words. Sandy Marks, Alexandria Democratic Party Chair, opened.

“When different policy proposals are made, we get lots of questions of how this will affect the most vulnerable people and how we will protect them,” Marks said about an hour ago. “And so the people in this room, that’s what we’re all about. And I think that’s why we win, and that’s why we box out our opposition at every turn.”

Marks then went on to claim Democratic victory for mayor and city council.

“I am confident that we elected Alyia Gaskins,” Marks said. “I am confident that we just swept City Council.”

Theogony has not yet called the City Council race, as tens of thousands of ballots remain to be counted. Theogony can, however, project that Alyia Gaskins has won the mayoral race.

After Marks spoke, Gaskins accepted her victory:

“I hope you also know that we have so much to celebrate, because of you we are going to deliver the most progressive council, you are going to see a council that is going to deliver for you, on housing on transportation on climate change, on the issues that matter most to this community. Because of you, we have elected me, the first black female mayor of Alexandria. … I could not be more humbled and more excited to serve you. … Our city is the first tonight to break that barrier, to shatter glass ceilings, to show the country what happens when you believe in strong Democrats and progressive leadership.”

Gaskins is the first Black female to be elected mayor of Alexandria. She ran unopposed and so far has garnered over 93 percent of in-person voting.

“As your mayor, I am so excited to serve you,” Gaskins said. “I am committed to making sure these are not just campaign promises, we are going to hold ourselves accountable for delivering for you. You are going to see your progressive values continue to live out in our great city.”

It’s 11 p.m.—well into Election Night—and the presidential race in Virginia is still too close to call. That’s bad news for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, who was expecting a decision by 10 p.m., according to a campaign memo.

With just under 75% of the vote in, Harris only leads Republican Donald J. Trump by 1.5 points. That number is in stark contrast to four years ago, when Joe Biden won the state with a 10 point margin. Such a sharp fall for the Democratic candidate indicates that Harris is not performing as well as she had hoped. Combined with early swing state results, it’s looking like there is an increasingly slim chance she wins the presidency nationally.

Early voting has just been reported in Alexandria, which accounts for about 30 percent of ballots this year and makes the total number of votes reported so far to be about 55 percent of what is to be expected. While Democrats have been dominating overall, City Hall shows some interesting results; all three non-Democratic candidates finished in the top six, with Roy Byrd (I) in second, M. Mason Butler (I) in fourth, and Celianna Gunderson (R) tied for fifth with Jacinta Greene (D).

The remaining votes, which come in the form of mailed absentee and provisional have yet to be reported.

“I am confident we have just swept City Council,” said Sandy Marks, Alexandria Democratic Party Chair, at the watch party underway at Pork Barrel in Del Ray. (Theogony has not yet projected a winner in the race.) Democratic candidates for City Council, school board and mayor, as well as incumbent Democratic local officials are present among dozens of supporters.

“This is the first party where Justin Wilson has ditched,” Marks jokingly said to the crowd.

Wilson announced in late 2023 that he would not run for reelection as Alexandria’s mayor.

In-person ballots have been reported in all 32 of Alexandria’s Precincts, and Democrats for City Council have swept 29 of them. Roy Byrd has been the spoiler in the only three they did not sweep, placing first at George Mason, second at City Hall and fifth at Temple Beth El Congregation.

It is important to note that these reported results are only considering in-person ballots, and Virginia’s live election site calculates that only 25 percent of ballots have been cast and reported.

This Democratic trend is a surprise to nobody, but it is an improvement for Democrats from 2021, where they only swept 22 of 31 precincts overall. The race is still to close to call, however, as no mail-in ballots have been counted.

Independent Roy Byrd has received the most in-person ballot votes at George Mason. It is the second election cycle in a row where a non-Democrat has won George Mason, after Darryl Nirenberg won a whopping 17.8 percent of the vote in 2021. Assuming absentee ballots reflect the current trend at George Mason, this will mark the fifth time in the last six election cycles, dating back to 2009, where Democrats have failed to sweep George Mason. On the contrary, they have swept City Council since 2012.

Democrats have an early lead in the City Council election in the first 19 precincts reported in Alexandria. These polls have only reported in-person ballots, which leaves a lot to be seen in the coming hours as more votes are counted.

Democrat Don Beyer has been reelected to the House of Representatives for Virginia’s 8th congressional district. The race was called by the Associated Press. Beyer leads by 42 points so far, and 27% of votes have been counted. Serving since 2015, this will be Beyers fifth consecutive term in the House.

At Pork Barrel BBQ in Del Ray, Alexandria Democrats are gathering together for their annual election watch party. Hopes are high, but the tension is as well.

“I’m nervous,” said Joelle Jordan, a local Democrat. “I mean, we worked really hard. So we’ll see.”

Two non-Democrats, Mason Butler (I) and Celianna Gunderson (R), will not be elected to the Alexandria City Council, Theogony projects.

The other independent, Roy Byrd is about 22 percent below his target vote count for reported precincts to reach sixth place, according to our metrics. He did, however, place first at George Mason, second at City Hall and fifth at Temple Beth El.

These numbers are not looking great for Byrd, though he may have a saving grace: 40% of registered voters cast their ballots early, and none of those results have been reported yet. He could pull through if those results skew strongly in his favor.

Kamala Harris leads Donald J. Trump by about seven points in Virginia’s race for president, a margin fairly similar to what pollsters predicted, though just 22 percent of votes have been counted. Both Democratic incumbents in Congress are leading their races by a wide margin. Incumbent Senator Tim Kaine is beating Hung Kao (R) by about nine points, and incumbent Rep. Don Beyer is leading his opponents by around 30 points. Only around 20 percent of votes have been counted in the congressional races.

The first five precincts have reported results for the City Council race, and Democrats have swept all five. Roy Byrd is significantly behind. According to our metrics, he is 24.09 percent behind what he would need to stay on pace for a sixth place finish. Long-time councilmember John Chapman leads Democrats with 14.75 percent. It’s important to note that these results include no absentee votes, the method roughly 40% of registered voters used this election. They are just 3% of the city’s total votes.

The polls that have been submitted are the Durant Center, Douglass MacArthur Elementary, the Fire Department, The View, and Charles Beatley Library.

Over the last five Alexandria election cycles, dating back to 2009, no candidate has won a City Council seat with less than 10 percent of the vote. Two candidates have won with exactly 10 percent: Paul Smedberg in 2012 and Willie Bailey Sr. in 2015. Theogony projects that a candidate would need, at minimum, 9.52 percent of the ballots to come in the sixth spot.

Elizabeth Bennett-Parker won 16.3 percent of the vote in 2018, securing her a spot on the City Council with the largest percentage of votes received since 2009. She also received the largest number of votes in 2018, with 43,958.

Theogony projects that Democrat Alyia Gaskins will be Alexandria’s next mayor. Gaskins, a current City Councilmember, ran unopposed.

Independent Roy Byrd has been running an intense campaign of signage, especially in the neighborhood surrounding voting location Douglass MacArthur Elementary School. While Byrd’s navy and yellow signs are clear on who they support for one of six City Council seats, an interesting range of signs have been seen to accompany the Independent’s.

One yard boasts a bright blue Harris/Walz presidential endorsement next to Byrd’s sign; take a look across the street, however, and a Byrd/Donald J. Trump/Mason Butler trio stare back. Another house, perhaps surprisingly, has accompanied their Byrd sign with one in support of a Republican for president: Reagan in ’84.

Such bipartisan support may be a good sign for Byrd, but we will see if it’s enough to crack the Democratic stronghold on City Council.

There are six seats in Alexandria’s City Council, and despite that seemingly large number, it has been difficult for candidates of non-Democratic parties to break through. Over the last four election cycles, dating back to 2012, Democrats have held all six seats in city council. The last time an Independent or Republican won a seat was in 2009—15 years ago—when Republican Frank Fannon and Independent Alicia Hughes both won seats.

There are six polling locations in Alexandria that represent this phenomenon; the Durant Center, Chinquapin Rec Center, Nova Arts Center, Samuel Tucker, William Ramsay, and South Port polling locations have had only Democrats as their six largest vote-receivers in every election in the last 15 years—except in 2009. Put simply, when Democrats have swept city council, they’ve also swept these polling sites—and when they didn’t sweep city council in 2009, they likewise did not sweep these polling locations. In fact, for the Durant Center and Chinquapin locations, Fannon, the Republican candidate who ended up winning a city council seat, received the largest number of votes.

Of these six locations, four of them have been on the west side of Alexandria, with one in the center and one in Old Town to the east.

This is just one indicator, however, and there are thousands of other variables that will decide the outcomes of these elections. While a clear, decisive predictive indicator is unlikely to exist for city council, these are certainly locations to look out for to see if history repeats itself.

Alexandria has been unabashedly blue for many years now, as demonstrated through who Alexandrians elect to local government positions. For example, the last time Alexandria elected a mayor not of the Democratic Party was all the way back in 1976, 48 years ago. In that election, Frank E. Mann, running as an Independent, won the position from Charles E. Beatley; six years later, in 1985, Beatley won the office back.

It doesn’t look like much will change party-wise in the mayor’s office this election cycle; Democrat Alyia Gaskins is running unopposed. When she is elected mayor, two years into her three year term will mark 50 years of consecutive Democratic mayors in Alexandria.

Alexandria’s strong Democratic leanings can also be seen in City Council: the last time any non-Democrats were elected was in 2009, when Republican Frank Fannon and independent Alicia Hughes won seats. Since then, Democrats have swept city council.

Zooming in even further, there are six Alexandria polling locations where the top six vote-receivers have been Democrats since 2009, including Cora Kelly, Mount Vernon, and George Washington Middle School: three locations that consistently are among the largest in voter turnout.

When Donald Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance moved into his Del Ray home earlier this year, many local residents were not happy, especially after the Secret Service closed a local park for his protection. (The park has since reopened on an intermittent schedule.) The move was puzzling, considering that Del Ray’s political preferences are in direct contrast to Vance’s

But on Election Day, with the park open to residents, it seems like that sentiment has calmed down. Although chalk messages in support of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris mark barriers outside of his home, the street itself was quiet, with just a few Secret Service officials outside of Vance’s home.

Catherine, a 26 year old local teacher who requested her last name be withheld for her job security, said his presence has not necessarily bothered her.

“He’s got to live somewhere,” she said.

Catherine lives in nearby Rosemont, and she said she often rides her bike past Vance’s house.

“The park’s been closed so often, and there has also been a lot of Secret Service presence, so that’s been interesting,” she said. “But this is a very nice place to live, and a lot of people want to live here.”

The Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library is an important polling location on the west side of Alexandria. Another Democratic hotspot, Beatley has voted entirely blue since 2009. As voters cast their ballots this year, mayoral candidate Alyia Gaskins (D), who is running unopposed, greeted them outside.

“I’m feeling really good,” Gaskins told me. “I am excited and inspired by the energy I’ve seen all across the city at different polling locations from volunteers and some folks coming out to vote.”

Gaskins, a current city councilmember, ran for mayor after Justin Wilson, who has been mayor since 2018, announced in late 2023 he would not be running a third time.

“If you are eligible, I hope you got out and voted today,” said Gaskins. “Our lives are on the ballet. … Everything from women’s rights to our housing and transportation, and it’s not just at the national level. You’re voting for your mayor, your city council, your school board. These are big decisions that shape every piece of our city, from the way we move, to the way we live, to the way we work.”

Gaskins also emphasized the importance of citizens taking part in other political processes.

“We need your voices now more than ever,” she said. “So please, I encourage you to join a board and commission, come volunteer, speak out at city hall, and make sure we understand the issues are most important to you, because this is your city too and it doesn’t stop today.”

As Gaskins spoke to me, voters continued to filter in and out of the polling area. Pushing his toddlers stroller, one resident commented that he would be voting for the Democrats nationally and locally.

“I’m voting for Kamala,” the resident, who requested anonymity out of safety concerns, said. “From what I’ve seen from projections online, I’m pretty confident that Virginia will turn blue. For City Council, I’m leaning Democrat too.”

It’s been 15 years since a Republican won a local election in Alexandria. It’s been 20 years since a Republican won a presidential election in Virginia. It’s been 22 years since a Republican won an election for U.S. Senate in Virginia. So do Republicans have a chance this year?

Statistically speaking, the answer is no. Locally, there would have to be very little turnout for Republican Celianna Gunderson to break through the Democratic hold of City Council. Something similar actually did happen in 2009, when elections were held in May. That year, an independent and a Republican won, prompting city officials to move the election date to November.

But this year, roughly 40% of Alexandria’s registered voters cast their ballots early, suggested high turnout numbers will follow on Election Day. And with such a high population of low-information voters in a city that is overwhelmingly liberal, the vast majority will likely vote Democratic down the ticket.

Still, Old Town resident Jon Danilowicz told me he believes the election will be closer than expected. In addition to voting for Trump, Gunderson, and Republicans down the ticket, Danilowicz said he voted for Byrd and Mason Butler, another independent candidate.

“Old Town is more right wing than you may think,” Danilowicz, who was decked out in a “Make America Great Again” hat, said. “And in Rosemont, you see a lot of people with Harris/Walz signs, and then [independent City Council candidate] Roy Byrd signs. There’s a considerable amount of crossover appeal.”

As for Virginia’s presidential election, it’s also statistically unlikely that Trump wins. Latest polling data from Nate Silver has Harris about six points ahead of Trump, though that’s a smaller margin than when Biden won the state by 10.1 points in 2020.

“I don’t think Trump will win Virginia, but I’ve lived here for a long time, and it wasn’t long ago when Republicans won,” Danilowicz said. “There’s been a big outmigration of people from Northern Virginia, like young professionals, who voted very heavily for Democrats. Now a lot of them are moving into Washington or other states. So I don’t think it will be enough, but I think it will be close.”

Just like Douglass MacArthur and Blessed Sacrament, Democrats have swept the polls at Beth El Hebrew Congregation only once in the last five election cycles, back in 2018. This makes it a likely place for Independent Roy Byrd, one of three non-Democrats on the city council ticket, to potentially garner support.

In the parking lot in front of the voting entrance, Charles Grace has been advocating for Roy Byrd, and independent candidate for city council. (Read about Byrd’s priorities here.) Wearing a bucket hat and handing out sample city council ballots, Grace said that he was originally hoping Byrd would run for mayor after hearing him speak last year. He began volunteering for Byrd’s campaign towards the end of September going into October of this year, and volunteered for him at places like the Cameron Station farmer’s market.

Grace supports Byrd’s policy against Zoning for Housing, which he says “wouldn’t be appropriate for a neighborhood like this,” referring to the area around Beth El and Alexandria’s Theological Seminary. He also agrees with Byrd’s opposition to additional bike lanes, citing people on the City Council who he says “believe that we should set aside automobiles to ride the bus or ride bicycles,” which he believes is inappropriate for Alexandria’s demographic, especially for older citizens.

Grace believes that Byrd has the best chance of winning a seat out of the three non-Democrats running for city council, and he’s excited to see more representation in the city council.

“They have their agenda,” he said, exhibiting frustration towards the Council’s perceived hesitancy to listen to Alexandrians on policy issues. Grace says that Alyia Gaskins, the unopposed Democratic candidate for mayor, is “a very nice and smart person” and will be a productive replacement for current Mayor Justin Wilson, for whom Grace voted twice.

James K. Polk Elementary School has long acted as a polling location in Alexandria, and all day today people have traveled in and out of the school’s gymnasium to cast their vote. Polk has been swept by Democrats for every local and national election since 2009. Today, representatives of the Alexandria Democratic and Republican Committees encouraged people to take a sample ballot.

“Particularly in Alexandria, I think everyone should be involved in politics,” said Peter Pavilionis, one of the two representatives of the Alexandria Democratic Committee present. “I think everyone should be involved, but Alexandria especially has an attentive public.”

Some voters are less public with their political opinions.

“I’d rather not talk about who I voted for,” an anonymous voter said while leaving Polk. “It is important that we take advantage of our ability to vote though. It is important in society, it’s a right that we have, our country was founded on that principle. I do think we need to take advantage of it.”

Located in Del Ray, an especially liberal part of Alexandria, the Mount Vernon precinct is typically the city’s most populous voting center. Last city council election, 1,897 people voted at Mount Vernon, compared to 641 at nearby Potomac Yard and 751 at City Hall. But over the lunch hour, the precinct was slow, with roughly 12 people entering in the 20 minutes I was there.

I spoke with new parents Sarah and Alex Wagner, who moved to Alexandria just over a year ago. Pushing her newborn daughter, who was decking a “future voter” sticker, in a stroller, Sarah told me that her daughter “had a lot to do with” how she voted—fully Democratic.

“My key issues are climate things,” Sarah said, while Alex nodded in agreement. “But also, just everything.”

“I want to vote for a candidate who thinks climate change is real,” Alex added.

Locally, Sarah said Zoning for Housing was a major factor in her choices for City Council.

“I am definitely pro-having zoning that allows for more housing,” she said. “D.C. is a growing city and Alexandria, which is basically a suburb of D.C., needs to help by providing more housing.”

City residents have been streaming into Blessed Sacrament to vote this morning. One woman, who recently voted and requested anonymity for safety reasons, said she voted for strictly Democrats.

“[I voted to] protect a lot of rights for women so they can have the reproductive care that they need,” she said.

She also said she’s “90 percent certain” that Democrats will win the various local elections.

As for the presidential race, which it has gone blue every year since Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, she’s a little less sure, putting her confidence level at 70 percent. She said, with such national uncertainty, she wouldn’t make any bets.

David Skiles, who also just recently voted at Blessed Sacrament, rocking a tucked-in polo t-shirt and bright blue sunglasses, would not speak on who he voted for nationally. But he did say he voted for Canek Aguirre and John Chapman, both Democrats, for city council.

Skiles also said that poll workers inside Blessed Sacrament claimed that over half of the church’s registered voters who had not casted a ballot before today had already voted this morning. He said he was excited about the seemingly high voter turnout, pointing out that there’s still “five and half hours to go.”

Similar to Douglass MacArthur, Blessed Sacrament has been swept by Democrats for city council only once in recent years, back in 2018, making it a location to pay attention to in Democratic Alexandria. Last election cycle, in 2021, Republican Darryl Nirenberg came in third in city council voting at Blessed Sacrament, earning 13 percent of the church’s vote.

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.

The new, green, and blocky Douglass MacArthur Elementary School building opened in August of last year. Now, it is being used as a polling location for the first time since its rebuilding. As a polling location, MacArthur has a history of being competitive: Democrats, who hold wide support in Alexandria as a whole, have swept the city council vote at MacArthur only once, in 2018. In the last round of city elections, which took place in 2021, Republican Darryl Nirenberg won 12.1 percent of the vote at MacArthur.

Jamarl, who requested Theogony withhold his last name for safety reasons, just voted at MacArthur. He said that he voted for Democrats up and down the ballot, including the national elections, citing his family’s long Democratic devotion, a background he trusts.

“All my life we’ve been Democratic,” Jamarl said.

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.