While election officials in Arlington and Falls Church are not expecting an early rush to vote in the Democratic primary, they’re ready for those who do come.
Arlington elections director Gretchen Reinemeyer told ARLnow she expects a relatively modest first-day turnout when early voting begins on Friday.
“In 2022, 16 voters cast ballots the first day of early voting during the Democratic primary with 8th District and County Board races … [with] 78 in the Democratic primary on the first day in 2024 with an open County Board seat,” she said. “I suspect we will fall somewhere between 2022 and 2024.”
Early voting will continue until the approach of the June 17 primary. Voters in the Democratic statewide primary will select candidates for lieutenant governor and attorney general, while Arlington voters also will choose a Democratic County Board nominee. There is also a three-way race for the Virginia House of Delegates 1st District seat.
Having no races for governor or Congress on the ballot will likely keep turnout down. Both of the local races also feature incumbents, which could be a limiting factor.
Even when competitive local races are on the ballot, turnout in primaries is elevated but not extraordinary.
Reinemeyer pointed to the 2023 Democratic primary, which featured contentious races for two open County Board seats plus a three-way race for sheriff and the battle for commonwealth’s attorney between incumbent Parisa Dehghani-Tafti and Josh Katcher.
First-day turnout in that primary was 147 voters, she said.
On this year’s Democratic primary ballot in Arlington:
- County Board: Incumbent Takis Karantonis and challenger James DeVita
- 1st District House of Delegates (certain areas of the county): Incumbent Patrick Hope and challengers Arjoon Srikanth and Sean Epstein
- Lieutenant governor: Levar Stoney, Babur Lateef, Aaron Rouse, Victor Salgado, Ghazala Hashmi, Alexander Bastani
- Attorney general: Shannon Taylor, Jay Jones
Arlington Republicans have no local or legislative primaries, and the statewide primary for lieutenant governor was canceled when Patrick Herrity dropped out, leaving just one candidate (John Reid) remaining.
Because of Arlington’s limited Republican electorate, eliminating the primary will not have any tangible impact on the county’s election office plans for June 17.
“The Republican primary for U.S. Senate last year had 1.5% turnout in Arlington,” Reinemeyer said. “We have not made any adjustments to staffing or projected spending as a result of the [2025 primary] being canceled.”
Arlington will hold early voting at the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center and, for select days, at the Madison and Walter Reed community centers. Early voting in Falls Church will take place at City Hall.
In Falls Church, registrar David Bjerke told Electoral Board members he does not anticipate an early rush, partly because so many candidates are vying for the Democratic nod for lieutenant governor.
Voters interested enough to participate in the primary likely will take their time in evaluating those candidates, he said.
“There’s a high likelihood that people will drop out, and voters don’t want to waste their vote,” Bjerke said.
In-person School Board caucus voting to start
As the state-run primary begins, the Arlington County Democratic Committee’s School Board caucus is ongoing. The first in-person voting option is this weekend.
The race features Monique “Moe” Bryant and June Prakash. Incumbent School Board Chair Mary Kadera is not seeking re-election.
Online caucus voting began April 19 and will run through May 10. In addition, two days of in-person voting will take place from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.: Sunday, May 4 at Washington-Liberty High School and Saturday, May 10 at Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School.
Results are anticipated the evening of May 10.
Democratic officials declined to provide ARLnow with turnout figures, saying a final tally will be released after the caucus concludes.
Republicans, independents face June deadline
The filing deadline for independents seeking Arlington offices is June 17 at 7 p.m. The Arlington County Republican Committee has until late June to finalize its slate of candidates.
Perennial protest candidate Audrey Clement has successfully filed for her 15th local bid for office — 13 for County Board and twice for School Board. Clement has been running in general and special elections continuously since 2011, and is making another bid for County Board this year.
Several other independents are currently in the process of becoming qualified for the County Board ballot, Reinemeyer told ARLnow.
June 17 is also the deadline for candidates for Falls Church local offices to submit paperwork for certification. On the ballot Nov. 4 will be four City Council seats and four School Board seats, plus the constitutional offices of treasurer, sheriff and commissioner of revenue.
