Newsletter - June 9, 2018

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Or by mail and phone:

Richmond Office:
Pocahontas Building
900 East Main Street, Suite E208
Richmond, VA 23219
804.698.1045

Alexandria Office:
301 King St
Alexandria, VA 22314
571.234.8481

2018 VIRGINIA PRIMARY ELECTIONS

Vote this Tuesday!

Or if you can't make it Tuesday, vote TODAY.

Today (Saturday) at 5 pm
is the deadline for Absentee In-Person Voting

Virginia holds its primary elections this Tuesday, and if you won't be able to make it to the polls on Tuesday, TODAY (Saturday, June 9) is your last chance to vote.

Alexandria will offer in-person absentee voting at the Office of Voter Registration & Elections, 132 North Royal Street, Suite 100.

Arlington will offer in-person absentee voting at Courthouse Plaza, 2100 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 320.

Fairfax will offer in-person absentee voting at the Mount Vernon Governmental Center, 2511 Parkers Lane and the Franconia Governmental Center, 6121 Franconia Road

All locations will be open until 5pm today.

The biggest primary is in Alexandria, where we'll be choosing a Democratic nominee for Mayor and six nominees for City Council. As none of these races are expected to be competitive in the Fall, this is your only real chance to weigh in on who you want to see running your city. I'm not endorsing any candidates in these races, but I do urge all of you to learn as much as you can about the candidates and to make your voice heard. In the mayoral race, Alexandria Mayor Allison Silberberg is being challenged by Vice-Mayor Justin Wilson.

For City Council, there are twelve candidates vying for six spots, with four of them serving as incumbents right now. Search information on each of them through the links below, and find out everything you can about them to make an informed choice. You may want to watch the debates hosted by the Alexandria Democratic Committee in the mayoral and city council races HERE to learn more about your choices.

For those of you in Arlington, you've also got an important election. Democrats Matt de Ferranti and Chanda Choun are running for the right to compete against incumbent John Vihstadt for a seat on the Arlington County Board. Unlike Alexandria, this will be a competitive election in the Fall, and I know that the Arlington Democrats are working hard to try to win back that seat. Your choice will be the leader of that effort. I recommend looking up both of them up online (see links below), and you can view the debate that the Arlington Democrats held HERE.

In contrast, Fairfax County does not have a Democratic Primary this year outside of the 10th Congressional District, which is well outside my district. For Democrats in my Fairfax precincts, you may want to skip this one. However, polls will be open in Fairfax and throughout Virginia for Republicans to vote in their primary to choose a challenger to Virginia's United States Senator Tim Kaine, whom I strongly endorse.

If you vote in the Democratic Primary in this election, you will not be allowed to vote in the Republican Primary. And vice versa. Virginia does allow you to vote in different party primaries from year to year. But for any particular primary election, you may cast your ballots in only oneparty's primary, for the candidates of the party of your choice.

Democratic Primary Candidates in the 45th District

Alexandria Mayor (* = incumbent)

Allison Silberberg*
Justin Wilson

Alexandria City Council (* = incumbents)

Canek Aguirre
Elizabeth Bennett-Parker
Willie Bailey*
John Chapman*
Matt Feely
Dak Hardwick
Chris Hubbard
Amy Jackson
Del Pepper*
Robert Ray
Mo Seifeldein
Paul Smedberg*

Arlington County Board
Matt de Ferranti
Chanda Choun

Photo ID Requirements

Accepted forms of Photo ID:

• Virginia driver’s license
• Virginia DMV-issued photo ID
• United States passport
• Employer-issued photo ID
• Student photo ID issued by a school, college, or university located in Virginia
• Other U.S. or Virginia government-issued photo ID
• Tribal enrollment or other tribal photo ID
• Virginia Voter Photo ID card

Virginia law does not require that the address on your ID match the address on your voter registration. If you don't have a valid photo ID, you can get one at your local registrar's office; they'll be open all day on Election Day. You can find them at:

Alexandria:132 N. Royal St., Suite 100
Arlington: 2100 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 320
Fairfax: 12000 Government Center Pkwy, Suite 323

Please make sure you make a plan to vote on Tuesday.
Polls will be open from 6am-7pm.
You can find your polling place at IWillVote.com.

All polls are open 6 a.m. - 7 p.m. on Election Day.

In every Election since I was elected in 2015, I make it a practice on Election Day
to visit every one of the 22 polling places in the 45th district.

So please say hello if you see me on Tuesday!

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June 12 is Not Just Election Day...

WE REMEMBER

The Second Anniversary of the Brutal Murder of
49 Innocent People
at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando

Click the picture below to hear to what I said then...

Speaking at an Alexandria Vigil for Orlando just two years ago...
Click the picture to listen to my heart-felt remarks.

On June 12, 2016,
49 people were massacred
And 53 wounded
Because Republican policies
Make military weapons of war
Easily accessible to madmen.

May They Rest in Peace

But we can't rest 
Until we have universal background checks 
For these weapons of mass destruction...

After the Parkland shooting, I suggested that the House of Delegates hold a series of town halls throughout the Commonwealth this summer to discuss ways to reduce gun violence. So far, the entire House Democratic Caucus (but no Republicans yet) have taken me up on my suggestion. We are calling it the Safe Virginia Initiative. Our first town hall in Northern Virginia will be held Thursday, July 5 at 6 pm at the Adams Center, a mosque located at 46903 Sugarland Road in Sterling. Please join us to offer more than thoughts and prayers. We aim to discuss meaningful efforts and necessary legislation to sharply reduce gun violence in Virginia and nationwide.

And we want to hear your ideas....

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Mark your Calendars NOW!
July 7 from 7:30 to 10:30 pm
Mark's 4th Annual
Fireworks on the Potomac

On a happier note, you are cordially invited over to my home in one month for my annual riverfront fundraiser. Proceeds go to elect Democrats to the House of Delegates.

The raucous party that no one wants to miss is at my townhouse at 805 Rivergate Place in North Old Town on Saturday, July 7 from 7:30-10:30 pm. Come eat, drink, be merry, and watch Alexandria's birthday fireworks from my back porch and the hillside which borders Rivergate Park on the Potomac River. Note the date: it's Saturday, July 7. Not Wednesday, July 4.

Fireworks begin at 9:30 pm. But experience has shown that if you don't make it to my house by 8 pm, traffic is heavy and parking is even more difficult. So come before 8 pm to get a good lawn seat. Or come later after the festivities next door at Oronoco Park.

As the date gets closer, I'll email you cheap and easy ways to park close by for a low cost. Or you can always take Uber or Metro (Braddock Place), particularly if you're drinking!

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The next Mark's Monthly Meetup will be on July 15th

Los Tios in Del Ray
(2615 Mount Vernon Avenue in Alexandria)
2 pm - 4 pm 

Come discuss any issue on your mind.
It's OK to come late or leave early.

And if you miss July, there's always August or September. Every month, I make sure to be available in this informal setting for any constituent who wishes to discuss a concern or just say hello.

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In the Community...

At Arlington Wear Orange Rally with Delegates Alfonso Lopez, Patrick Hope, and Rip Sullivan, Arlington County Board Members Christian Dorsey and Libby Garvey, Arlington School Board Member Barbara Kanninen, and other activists
 

At Alexandria Wear Orange Rally with Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, Delegate Kathy Tran, and Havana

Attending the Alexandria City Council Debate

Helping raise money for my friend, Delegate Wendy Gooditis

Enjoying happy hour with Mt. Vernon Precinct Democrats

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Upcoming Events - Please Join Me!

Saturday June 9, 3pm
Alexandria D-Day Commemoration
Market Square
301 King St, Alexandria

Sunday June 10, 2pm
Alexandria Women's History Tour
Gadsby's Tavern
134 N Royal St, Alexandria

Tuesday June 12, 12:30pm
LGBTQ Community Conversation with Senator Tim Kaine
Hank's Pasta Bar
600 Montgomery St, Alexandria

Tuesday June 12
Primary Election Day
6 am - 7 pm
At your polling place

Friday June 22, 6pm
Virginia Women's Summit
Hyatt Regency Dulles
2300 Dulles Corner Blvd, Herndon

Saturday June 23, 10am
Third Baptist Church Historical Marker Dedication
Third Baptist Church
917 Princess St, Alexandria

Sunday June 24, 4pm
Don Beyer Summer Solstice Reception
320 1/2 Mansion Dr, Alexandria

Monday June 25, 5:30pm
LGBTQ Pride Reception
Governor's Mansion
Richmond

Thursday, July 5, 6:00pm
Safe Virginia Initiative
Adams Center
46903 Sugarland Road, Sterling

Saturday July 7, 7:30pm
Fourth Annual Fireworks Over the Potomac
Mark's House
805 Rivergate Place, Alexandria

Sunday July 15, 2pm
Mark's Monthly Meetup
Los Tios, 2615 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria

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It is always my honor and privilege to serve you.

Delegate Mark Levine
Serving Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax in Virginia's 45th District