Democrats, Republicans set locations for Ninth District Senate primary, canvass

Democrats and Republicans have set the locations for their primary election to determine their party nominees for the Ninth District Virginia Senate seat, which is being vacated by Jennifer McClellan, after she was elected to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this week.

The Democratic firehouse primary will be held Sunday, Feb. 26, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., at five locations throughout the district, while Republicans will hold a canvass at 3429 West Cary Street from noon to 2 p.m. the same day.

Voting in the Democratic firehouse primary will be conducted at the following locations:

• East Henrico Government Center - 3820 Nine Mile Road, Henrico;
• Ashland Municipal Building - 121 Thompson Street, Ashland;
• Charles City County Administration Building - 10900 Courthouse Road, Charles City;
• Virginia Union University Living and Learning Center - 1500 North Lombardy Street, Richmond.

To date, Henrico Delegate Lamont Bagby, Richmond Delegate Dawn Adams and former Richmond mayoral candidate Alexsis Rodgers have announced they will seek the nomination. Other candidates have until Friday night at 7 p.m. to qualify.

A fifth location (the IBEW 666 in Highland Springs) originally was to be used as a polling place, but Democratic Party officials opted to remove it Friday after the post endorsed Bagby.

"Though we thank them for opening up their space to us for the firehouse primary, in an effort to maintain the integrity of this process, the SD-09 Nominating Committee has voted unanimously to remove this location from the list of locations where firehouse primary voters may cast their ballots,” said party spokesman Liam Watson.

According to party officials, anyone who considers themselves a Democrat and who is a registered voter of the Ninth State Senate District can cast their ballot at any of the locations.

Voters in the Republican canvass must express either orally or in writing their intent to support all of the Republican Party of Virginia’s nominees for public office in the ensuing election.

Voters will need to bring one of the same methods of identification that are required to vote in a state-run election.

The special election for the seat, which includes the eastern half of Henrico County, will be held Tuesday, March 28.

To find out if you live in the Ninth Senate District, click here.