By Carla Branch
alexandrianews.org
With the November election just over three weeks away, Alexandria election officials are dealing with changes in the voter roles and a computer glitch that will require them to count all mailed absentee ballots on Election night.
Tom Parkins, Alexandria Registrar of Voters. (Photo: James Cullum)
“We had a computer hardware problem so we could not print ballots to mail with barcodes. This means that these ballots cannot be read by a machine and must be counted by hand,” said General Registrar Tom Parkins. “We don’t see this as a major problem because we anticipate having to count only about 1000 votes. We should have all votes counted and the results in by 10:00 p.m.”
For some time, there have been just under 94,000 voters listed as “active registered voters” in Alexandria. The State Board of Elections has finally reclassified nearly 14,000 of those voters as “inactive.” Now, there are 79,873 active registered voters in Alexandria.
“This is far more representative of voters who actually participate in elections in Alexandria,” Parkins said. “Most of the voters who are now on the ‘inactive’ roles have probably moved.”
The election will be held on Nov. 3. Alexandrians will have the opportunity to vote for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, three members of the Virginia House of Delegates, Alexandria Sheriff and Alexandria Commonwealth’s Attorney.
In-person absentee voting is ongoing at the Registrar’s office at 132 N. Royal Street or voters can apply online for a mailed absentee ballot.
