It’s election day, and everybody’s got at least a few votes to cast. The polls are open until 7pm, so make sure you vote before then. If you vote in the East Ivy or University Hall precincts, remember that The Police concert is tonight, so you really want to vote before 5:30, if possible. Vote for Democrats, vote for Republicans, vote for independents or vote for the one Libertarian, but please do be sure to vote. And take a friend with you to make sure he votes, too.
How are things looking at your polling place? Is everything being done fairly? Spotted anything sketchy? How about y’all volunteering at the polls — do you have any sense of what the outcome will be tonight? Does anybody want to forecast the outcomes?
For the record, lest I later claim to the contrary, I have no sense at all of who is going to win any of these races. Which is a great sign — if these contests are all competitive, that’s good news for us all, no matter the winners.
2:15pm Update: Here’s a sample ballot for city voters, and per-precinct sample ballots for county voters. This way you’ll know in advance all of the choices you’ll need to make. You can look up your precinct if you’re not sure which precinct you’re in.
Go Vote!
I’m predicting a higher turnout then 4 years ago.
Yep, with everyone talking low turnout, I think if you can’t get excited about one of these races then why what are you posting about it.
GO Democracy!
I was the 6th person in one of four lines to vote at around 6:15 am, so I’m guessing about the 24th at the precinct. Everything wemt smoothly. God bless the pollworkers.
I feel certain that if any of the candidates I support fails to win it will be because the early morning showers kept their voters (and only their voters) away from the polls.;)
I was third through my line at Cale at 0610. Many, many thanks to the poll workers who were chipper and helpful.
It was reported to me that I was about the 100th person voting today at 7:45 – a good turnout for my precinct. As always, the poll workers were helpful and courteous and all went smoothly.
I voted at Clark school at about 7:00am. It was definitely not crowded, but I noticed all the voting booths were in use when I left.
I wish the polls stayed open until 8:00pm. My husband is working a 12 hour shift as a nurse at UVA and by the time he gets out, the polls will be closed. He usually tries to vote before work, but this morning was too exhausted to get up any earlier. Also, many of those who work at UVA work nearly an hour from their polling places, making voting difficult. I’m going to call my husband and see if he can get away from his patients long enough to quickly run over to Belmont and vote, but often he gets no lunch break, so this may not be possible.
Vote for Democrats, vote for Republicans, vote for independents or vote for the one Libertarian, but please do be sure to vote.
Bogus!! Don’t vote, if you don’t know what you are voting for. Democracy isn’t well served if a bunch of ignorant sheep are pulling the D or R lever just because that’s what they’ve always done.
If you’re not voting for my guy or gal, please stay home. And if you don’t know what you are voting for, definitely, please stay home.
This idea of voting for voting’s sake is foolish, and no one is better off for it.
One person in line in front of me at Free Bridge at 8am. In and out in 3 minutes. Only two booths operational. More poll workers than voters.
I wasn’t going to vote, but Waldo reminded me that there’s at least one race that I do care about. The Commonwealth’s Attourney.
Thanks Waldo!
Things were hopping at 8:30 a.m. at the Elks Club (Rivanna District) this morning–I had to wait behind two people to get into one of the three polling booths. Then, when I went to Stony Point Elementary for my son’s school conference, things seemed to be hopping there as well for folks who vote there.
Bogus!! Don’t vote, if you don’t know what you are voting for. Democracy isn’t well served if a bunch of ignorant sheep are pulling the D or R lever just because that’s what they’ve always done.
I’m not sure who you’re disagreeing with here, but it’s neither me nor anybody else who’s commented here. I merely encouraged people to vote for the candidates of their choice, no matter their political affiliation. Then you posted an angry response that fundamentally agrees with my sentiment. Perhaps this bit was what you really meant:
Why is it so hard to find out what’s going to be on my ballot when I show up at the polls?
I can tell that 3 city council slots are open, with 5 candidates, okay, no problem there. BUT is the Commonwealth’s Attorney a position that serves Albemarle AND Charlottesville? It’s a state position, so it sounds like it might, but how should I know?
Don’t get me started about national election ballots. Those things are crammed full of candidates. Where am I supposed to look? Should I drop by the voter registration office or what??
Patience, if your husband’s work day and commute are longer than 11 hours while the polls are open, he is eligible to vote absentee, for future reference.
Damn, my last message got snagged as spam.
Confused… Denise Lunsford and Jim Camblos are running in Albemarle County only. The Charlottesville City commonwealth’s attorney seat is Dave Chapman.
There should be an official sample ballot outside your polling place,and hopefully people with literature on the candidates, in case you want to do some studying before you vote.
At the Crozet polling place this morning, candidates more or less outnumbered voters when I arrived.
Is Crozet unique in forcing hapless voters almost literally to run a gauntlet of candidates and supporters pestering them with literature and messages on either side of the walkway leading into the polls? I know that in past years it has been bad enough that poll officials had to come out and request that campaigners allow more space. (In general they’re staying outside the legal perimeter, but it can still be intimidating to have to walk through a slew of people on the way in.)
I agree. There’s something mildly creepy about having to walk right past all those campaign workers with their sample ballots on the way in to vote. My tight smile and polite but terse “No, thank you” backed ’em off right away, but should voters even be put in that position?
I’ve found campaign workers to be friendly but not pushy. If I say “no thanks” (even not tersely) they smile and say thank you back or something like that. That’s some pretty mild pestering, IMHO. I’d rather pull into the parking lot and see cheery committed campaigners than no one at all.
Confused, there’s a sample city ballot on the Charlottesville City site here: http://www.charlottesville.org/Index.aspx?page=39
For some reason, I really love voting. It makes me giddy. Maybe it’s because I always went with my parents when I was little and they let me hit the levers. I was bummed when the massive, red lever that shut the curtains was done away with.
Anyway, there were about five people ahead of me at 11:30 AM at Tsongas Park. Llezelle Dugger was in the lot “electioneering” (had no idea that was a word until I saw it on a sign) and she seemed really tickled when I pulled out my cheat sheet and said “You’re on my list!” Of course, right next to her was a relative (cousin? sister?) of Colette Blout’s and next to her was someone there for Kathleen Galvin. They were all quite nice…maybe because I told them who I was voting for right off the bat, so I cut off the spiel they would have given had I been clueless.
There’s a difference between having tables with volunteers and/or candidates off to the side of the polling place entrance, and having them line the walkway of the only entrance to the building. In the former case it’s my choice whether to interact with them; in the latter case it’s forced on me.
Thanks dkachur. I had no idea.
No Waldo, that bit (“If you’re not voting for my guy or gal, please stay home.”), wasn’t really the point.
These were my primary points:
1. Democracy isn’t well served if a bunch of
ignorant sheepuninformed folks are pulling the D or R lever.2. This idea of voting for voting’s sake is foolish, and no one is better off for it.
Of course the ideal is for everyone to educate themselves on the issues and on the candidates and then participate in our democracy, but there is nothing in inherently benevolent in just voting if you don’t know what you are voting for.
Therefore, if someone says, “I don’t care who you vote for, just vote.” I say, “Bogus!” Rather it should be something like, “don’t forget it’s election day, so if you’ve got a candidate that you like then remember to go to the polls, and if not, then don’t, but next time you should really look into what’s going on and who’s running, so you can make a meaningful vote next time.”
…but maybe the latter is just too wordy. ;-)
Google “virginia elections board.” It always works to get you to the official state site (S.B.E.), which is pretty good both for what’s on the ballot and then the results. The key is remember that word “board” in your Google search I think.
Poll workers are usually civilized but a fever can overcome them I suppose, esp. the as a dynamic between the two opposing tables, trying to reach the voter first. When most voters drive in, it could depend on how challenging the parking lot layout is for the workers, because they have to stay x feet away from the polls themselves. In some places it’s impossible to get to the driver outside the limited area. Usually they know that scaring the voters is bad!
In Nelson we had a coupla hotly contested things, Sheriff and House of Burgesses (hehe). I ended up driving all the way across the county on roads big & small today and I was surprised by how the yard signs changed. On 29 north of Lovingston and on through 151 & Nellysford, the signs were mostly for Del. Abbitt & Dep. Bridgwater, the non-Democrats (no Repubs in these races, just Dems and Indep’s). Around Schuyler it was totally completely Dem., Connie Brennan and Dep. Brooks.
I can see the difference you’re describing — I guess the different layouts at the different polling places has something to do with it. At the Elks club where I go, there isn’t that gauntlet feel.
I was 89th this morning in one of 5 or 6 lines at Hollymead Elementary. No wait to speak of around 8:15.
Some candidates must have thought this was a key precinct, at least early in the day. Both Brian Wheeler and Debbie Shipp were there and spoke up as my wife and I walked towards the school. Assorted others outside, but none spoke up like the two of them did.
I’m going to project White Hall District for Ann Mallek as of 8:02 p.m.
Listening to results come in on WINA, Ann is ahead of Wyant by decent margins in Brownsville and Free Union precincts. Both of those were won by Wyant over Strucko by a fairly large combined margin in 2003.
Crozet will be close but should trend Mallek. Earlysville was heavy for Wyant in ’03 but should be much closer this time.
We’ll know in a half hour or so.
Meanwhile Claytor/Harding is a nail-biter. Likewise Camblos/Lunsford.
I AM PROJECTING DENISE LUNDSFORD AS YOUR NEXT COMMONWEALTH’S ATTORNEY!!!!!
The Virginia Election Board website has the results with 100 percent precincts reporting. Camblos is toast losing by a margin of 1393.
Mallek wins her district. Boyd and Dorrier retaining theirs.
Albemarle is done. The winners are Lunsford, Harding, Shipp, Boyd, and Mallek.
Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think the timing of the Debbie Wyatt thing backfired in Jim’s face.
(insert little giggling smiley face here)
Looks like Camblos is OUT.
YEEEAAAAYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!