Alexandria, Virginia Public Records

Those researching the history of their home or business will find the Alexandria Library Special Collections Branch particularly valuable, as it houses an extensive collection of city-specific records dating back to the 18th century.

Those researching the history of a local business will find the Alexandria Library Special Collections particularly valuable, with archived newspaper clippings, city directories, and other primary sources documenting the area's commercial evolution over more than two centuries.

The registration deadline is 22 days before any election. Voters must provide their Virginia driver's license number or the last four digits of their social security number; no photo ID is currently required to register in Virginia following recent law changes. The city holds municipal elections for City Council and Mayor on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in odd-numbered years; the next city elections will be held in November 2025. The Mayor serves a three-year term, and six City Council members are elected at-large for staggered three-year terms. To find candidates and local ballot measures, voters can visit the elections office website or the Virginia Department of Elections at elections.virginia.gov. Residents can locate their assigned polling place using the online lookup tool at vote.elections.virginia.gov by entering their name and date of birth or address. The city operates approximately 30 polling locations across its precincts. In the November 2024 presidential election, local turnout reached approximately 63 percent with over 75,000 ballots cast out of roughly 120,000 registered voters; the city strongly favored Democratic candidates consistent with recent voting patterns. On November 3, 2026, Alexandria and Virginia voters will decide several key races: Virginia does not have U.S. Senate seats up in 2026 (next Senate race is 2026 for one seat actually—Mark Warner's seat is up in 2026), all 100 Virginia House of Delegates seats, and potentially local offices depending on the election cycle schedule. Virginia holds gubernatorial elections in odd-numbered years (next in 2025), so no governor race appears on the 2026 ballot. Absentee voting in Virginia is available to all registered voters without excuse required since 2020 law changes. Voters can request absentee ballots online at vote.elections.virginia.gov, by mail, email, fax, or in person at the elections office beginning 45 days before an election. The absentee ballot application deadline is 11 days before Election Day for mail ballots (5 PM) or in person until the Saturday before Election Day (5 PM). Early in-person voting is available at the elections office starting 45 days before Election Day. Public election records in Virginia include voter registration lists (available with restrictions), campaign finance reports searchable at elections.virginia.gov/candpac-search, candidate filings, and precinct-level election results published after each election at the Virginia Department of Elections website and alexandriava.gov/Elections.