.jpg)
The City of Lexington Office of the Registrar will open for business at the Lexington City Schools administration building at 300 Diamond Street at 8:30 a.m. on February 10, 2025, instead of at its usual location at 300 East Washington Street. The temporary relocation is expected to be for less than two years and is necessary because of plans to renovate Lexington’s City Hall building starting in March.
The Office of the Registrar is responsible for all aspects of voter registration and elections administration for the City of Lexington. The Office of the Registrar has two full-time employees and is overseen by the bipartisan Board of Elections. In December, Lexington City Council notified the Virginia Attorney General of the City’s intention to move its Office of the Registrar. Because in-person, early voting is conducted at the Office of the Registrar, pre-approval by the Commonwealth of Virginia is required. The Virginia Attorney General approved the relocation on January 30, 2025.
Registrar Francena Jones noted that every registered voter in Lexington will receive a written notice in the mail in the coming days notifying voters of the relocation. “All 4,273 registered voters in Lexington can expect to receive a letter from us noting this relocation, and when we move back to City Hall once the renovation is completed, we will notify all registered voters of that move back too,” she said.
Jones noted that while the location for early voting in elections over the next couple of years will be at 300 Diamond, election day voting will not be impacted. Voters will still vote on election day at 350 Spotswood Drive, commonly referred to as the Piovano Building, even during the remodel of City Hall.
The Office of the Registrar is the first city office to relocate to accommodate the City Hall remodel project. The offices of the Commissioner of Revenue and Treasurer will also relocate on or around March 10, 2025 to 626 Waddell Street. All other offices in City Hall will relocate to the second floor of 539 East Nelson Street at the corner of Nelson and Walker Street in March.
Lexington’s City Hall was built as an elementary school in 1892 and served as the Ruffner School until 1961, when it became Lexington Town Hall. Lexington became an independent city in 1966, and 300 East Washington Street has housed town or city offices for the last 64 years. The City’s planned renovation of The 133-year old building will enable it to serve as the seat of government for Lexington for the next century.
The temporary location of the Office of the Registrar is also steeped in a rich and textured history. 300 Diamond Street is the former Lylburn Downing School and today serves as the Lexington City School’s Central Offices and hosts a community room.
For further information about this temporary office relocation or the City Hall renovation project, please contact City Manager, Tom Carroll at 540-460-7667.
