Del Ray Heads to the Polls

7 p.m. update — Polls are now closed. For updates on the returns, check out the Virginia State Board of Elections website. 

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5:10 p.m. update — Polls close in less than two hours. If you have questions on whether you're registered or where to vote, visit the Virginia Election and Registration Information System's website.

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2:45 p.m. update — Here are some voter turnout numbers from the Del Ray area:

• At 2:20 p.m., 153 votes had been cast at Cora Kelly Rec Center. The precinct has 4,956 registered voters.
• At 2:04 p.m., 366 ballots had been cast at George Washington Middle School. The precinct has 4,091 registered voters.
• At 1:43 p.m., 372 ballots had been cast at Mount Vernon Rec Center. The precinct has 4,676 registered voters.
• At 1:30 p.m., 380 ballots had been cast at . The precinct has 3,099 registered voters.
• At 1:15 p.m., 291 ballots had been cast at . The precinct has 2,885 registered voters.

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12:34 p.m. update — Old Town Alexandria Patch editor Sharon McLoone on voter turnout elsewhere in town.

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12:15 p.m. update — The need for Tuesday’s special election was created when .

Englin’s resignation went into effect on Friday. His website has since been taken down, with the lone exception of a message announcing Krupicka as the “new state delegate” from the 45th District.

“David Englin no longer represents Virginia's 45th House of Delegates District,” the statement reads. “Your new state delegate is Rob Krupicka, who can be contacted at www.krupicka.com.”

What are your thoughts on this? Tell us in the comments.

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11:43 a.m. update — Patch editor Rachel Leonard sent in this update from the Belle Haven and Huntington neighborhoods of southeast Fairfax County that are in the 45th District:

“It’s been steady,”  said Stephen Toth, chief elections officer for the Belle View precinct, at 11 a.m. “We’re at 82, and we expect that by the end of the day we’ll be approaching a couple of hundred voters. It’s probably a pretty good turnout for this election.

The timing of the special election and the first day of school might have been fortunate, Toth said. “We’ve got a couple parents that didn’t even know about this who were bringing kids to school today and got to vote,” he said.

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A dreary, humid Tuesday morning that also marked the first day of school for much of Alexandria may not have felt like the best day to hold a special election, but early turnout was somewhat promising in the Del Ray area in the race to represent the 45th District in the House of Delegates.

At around 10:30 a.m., was standing outside greeting voters. At the time, 243 ballots had been cast out of the 4,061 registered voters in the precinct. McGhee said he was pleased with that number, as was Alexandria Republican City Committee Chairman Tom Fulton.

“It feels a lot like last November,” said McGhee, . “I feel 2 percent was never a realistic projection. … I’d say it will be somewhere between 5 to 7 percent.”

George Washington is the home precinct of , something one worker inside the polling station said would help boost numbers there.

Andy Duncan, precinct captain with the Alexandria Democratic Committee, said there was a steady stream of voters in the first three hours that polling station was open.

A few notable Alexandria Democrats, who probably would have stumped for Krupicka on Tuesday, had already made their way to Charlotte, N.C., for the Democratic National Convention. in Tuesday’s election, left on Friday.

Duncan said ADC members from outside the 45th District helped fill the gap by handing out Democratic sample ballots in the city’s east end.

At 9:40 a.m., just 76 votes had been cast at the . The precinct, which typically has lower than average turnout, has 4,956 registered voters.

is the third candidate on Tuesday’s ballot.

Polling stations are open until 7 p.m. across Alexandria. The 45th District also includes parts of Arlington and Fairfax counties.

For more updates on Tuesday’s election, follow Del Ray Patch on Twitter and Facebook. 

We'll be updating this story throughout the day.