Alexandria’s Recent 1,026 Write-In Votes Reveal Humor, Creativity—from Kanye West to Yoda
About 1 in 50 voters went off-script—here’s what they wrote in
ALEXANDRIA, VA —You asked what voters actually wrote in on Alexandria’s ballots—and now we’ve got answers. So we sent an email request to Angela Turner, Director of Elections & General Registrar for the City of Alexandria, and she promptly sent over a 79-page PDF of hand-sratched or scribbled names or phrases. Admittedly, there were a few protest-related ones we chose not to include below because we are, after all, a family news portal.
In the April 21, 2026 special election to fill the City Council seat vacated by Kirk McPike when he was elected into the Virginia state legislature, voters didn’t just choose among the official candidates. Most did, and Democrat Sandy O. Marks won the open seat, defeating independent candidates Frank H. Fannon and Alison Virginia O’Connell. According to results from the Virginia Department of Elections, Marks received 24,869 votes (53.37 percent). Fannon received 13,702 votes (29.41 percent), and O’Connell received 6,999 votes (15.02 percent).
But some took a different route entirely. There were also 1,026 write-in votes.
Out of 51,256 ballots cast, those 1,026 write-ins account for about 2 percent of all votes—roughly one in every 50 voters.
That may sound small. It’s not.
Because each of those voters made the deliberate choice to fill in a blank line—and what they wrote offers a revealing and often entertaining snapshot of voter expression.
What Voters Actually Wrote In
After manually reviewing the city’s full 79-page write-in report, we found entries that ranged from serious local names to protest votes to pop culture picks. And then there’s the legion of illegibles—entries lost to handwriting, haste, or mystery.
Among the recognizable write-ins:
Local & Regional Names
Kelly Booz
Bryan Porter
Rich Daniel
Dana Lawhorne
Tiffany Bates
Zachary Tobler
Amy Jackson
Roberto Gomez
Tim Laderach
Linda App
Bill Euille
Melissa Riddy
Keith Moore
Charles Sumpter
Michelle Millben
Alison Silberberg
Justin Wilson
Sean Casey
Public Figures, Pop Culture & Notable Names
Alf
Barack Obama
Betsy Ross
Daffy Duck
Donald Duck
Glenn Youngkin
J. D. Vance
Kanye West
Michelle Obama
Mickey Mouse
Warren Buffett
Will Rogers
Yoda
Protest Votes & Messages
Who Cares
None
No Vote
Pass
Anyone Else
Not all write-ins were meant to be taken literally. Some voters used the blank line to make a statement. Others injected humor. And some simply opted out of the choices available to them. Notably, “None” and Mickey Mouse were the most common write-ins.
Together, the 1,026 write-in votes represent more than a footnote in the election results. They reflect a slice of the electorate willing to pause, pick up a pen, and say something different.
Sometimes that message was serious.
Sometimes it was symbolic.
And sometimes—it was a cartoon mouse.
View the full report: Write-in Candidates for Council Election April 21 2026
