Virginia Beach Voter Office Relocates
The Virginia Beach Voter Registrar's Office has relocated to a new, more accessible facility at 500 Studio Drive. The new office, located near Mount Trashmore Park, is now open to the public and offers improved parking and security for voter services.
The move away from the Virginia Beach Municipal Center was prompted by a March 2023 report from the city's Internal Auditor's Office, which found the previous office space to be "inadequate for efficient operations." Staff and election materials were scattered across four separate buildings, leading to logistical challenges and delays. During the November 2022 election, the lobby of the former main office in Building 14 had to accommodate an average of 530 early voters per day with only seven voting booths. On election nights, officials from all 108 precincts returned materials to a cramped conference space in Building 19, causing significant delays in accounting for all the ballots. To address these issues, the city allocated $3 million for the modification and design of the new 65,700-square-foot facility at 500 Studio Drive. The two-story building, constructed in 2001, was identified as a suitable location to consolidate all voter registration and election operations. According to Director of Elections Christine Lewis, the new location will significantly improve voter access, especially for curbside and early in-person voting. The purpose-designed space also allows for the secure consolidation of all voting hardware and ballots into a single, more secure location.
