Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Chairman Sharon Bulova proposed the group, which will address long lines and wait times.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Tuesday forming a commission that will try to improve long lines and reduce wait times on Election Day. In her request to the Board, Chairman Sharon Bulova said she wanted to address the county’s efficiency during elections, a desire she made public earlier this month. This year’s turnout in the county was 80.5 percent of registered voters, up from 78.7 percent in 2008. More than 529,000 people showed up to the polls, about 12,000 more than four years ago. But officials say the higher turnout resulted in long waits at some poll locations. While some voters waited no more than 30 minutes at peak hours, the last vote in the county was cast at 10:30 p.m. – a wait of more than three …
Friday, November 9, 2012
What it was like on the other side of the ballot box.
Everyone has a voting story. At my work on Wednesday morning, we all shared ours, and then again last night, at a school function, I heard even more. People who waited for hours to vote first thing making sure a Northern Virginia commute wouldn’t prevent them from voting, flat tires and people who breezed right through in the middle of the day. One gentleman told me the story of voting at the Jersey shore, where a hotel became a last-minute voting location and to ensure voter privacy, the staff hastily arranged for an oversized cardboard box to serve as a voting booth looking like the beginnings of a kid’s Halloween costume. Voting is our right and our duty and more than 80 percent of Fairfax County’s registered voters and 72 percent of …
Virginia law makes campaign signs on highway medians illegal.
Fairfax County residents might have noticed a distinct lack of campaign signs on highway medians this election season, and county officials say constituents couldn’t be happier. Posting signs on public rights-of-way such as highways had become a pesky common practice that annoyed both residents and county officials. But legislation drawn up by Del. Dave Albo (R-42) took care of the problem, making all political signs illegal if they’re on public property. Albo’s bill also amended part of Virginia state code that created a loophole specific to Fairfax County, making it unlawful to remove signs from public rights-of-way until three days after an election. But under new law, the county can now form an agreement with the Virginia Department of…
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
A look at the day around Northern Virginia and in Richmond.
- ELECTIONS
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Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Voters across Northern Virginia headed to the polls Tuesday and Patch was there to capture every moment. After the polls closed, supporters gathered across the area to await results. Supporters of Tim Kaine and George Allen gathered Tuesday night in Richmond, along with many volunteers from the state's Barack Obama and Mitt Romney offices. Did you take photos today? Upload them here! Otherwise click through the gallery in the media player above to see what we captured.
The bonds passed with majorities of about 70 percent or more.
Fairfax County residents voted to approve all four bond referenda on the Tuesday's ballot by wide margins. Final unofficials results from the Virginia State Board of Elections show that about 70 percent of county voters approved of a $25 million bond that will go towards the construction of a new library in Reston and the renovations of three more within the county. More than 72 percent of voted approved of a $75 million bond that will used to fund widespread improvements to a number of county parks. Nearly 75 percent of county voters also said "yes" to a $55 million public safety bond that will fund new facilities for the county's fire department and renovations in the county courthouse. And about 78 percent of voters approved of a $30 …
Patch will bring you updates throughout Election Day as two former Virginia governors face off for an open Senate seat.
The U.S. Senate race in Virginia lived up to its reputation going into Tuesday's election, as being a tight race between two former governors. Final unofficial results around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday showed Tim Kaine with 51.89 percent of the state vote to Republican challenger George Allen's 47.92 percent of the vote across Virginia. Kaine won by comfortable margins in Northern Virginia jurisdictions, defeating Allen 71.40 percent to 28.42 percent in Falls Church; 60.53 percent to 39.01 percent in Fairfax County; and 65.83 to 33.86 percent in Arlington County, according to the State Board of Elections. As of 1:33 a.m. Wednesday, all precincts in the state had reported their results. Update 11:21 p.m.: Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell congratulated …
Incumbent representing state's 8th Congressional District defeats Republican Patrick Murray, Independent Jason Howell and Independent Green Party's Janet Murphy in Tuesday's race.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Moran secured another term in office, soundly defeating Patrick Murray, Jason Howell and Janet Murphy in the 8th Congressional District. "Tonight was a vindication of the President's efforts to get our country back on track after the worst recession in our nation's history," Moran said in a statement released late Tuesday night. "Tim Kaine will be our next Senator, a good, decent man who will serve the commonwealth with great distinction. Our nation faces major challenges that demand solutions. We owe it to the American people to come together and work toward reaching the kind of compromise necessary to get the country again moving forward." This is the second consecutive time Moran has defeated Murray. Moran will…
Changes to eminent domain and veto session scheduling pass by wide margins.
Virginia residents voted to pass two amendments to the Virginia Constitution when they went out to the polls Tuesday. About 75 percent of voters, more than 2.3 million people, voted "yes" to amending the state's eminent domain policies. The measure will prohibit local governments from using eminent domain for economic development and job creation. The measure was a bit less popular in localities such as Fairfax County, where 62 percent of voters decided to pass the amendment. Question 2, which will allow the General Assembly to postpone its veto session in the event of scheduling conflicts of religious holidays, was much more popular. About 82 percent of voters, or 2.6 million people, said yes to the amendment. Update (12:05 a.m. Nov. 7, …
In 2008, Barack Obama was the first Democrat to take Virginia since 1964. In 2012, the contest between the president and Republican hopeful is still too close to call.
President Barack Obama took Virginia in 2008, marking the first time the Commonwealth has gone blue since 1964. But it's too early to tell which way voters will go on Tuesday, or whether the changing demographics of Virginia and voter enthusiasm will have an effect on which candidate takes Virginia's 13 electoral votes. Virginia is one of just a few swing states in this year's presidential election. “The challenge for the Obama campaign is to try to rekindle the magic,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a professor of political science at Mary Washington University. “You had great excitement among African Americans, and young people especially, four years ago. The indication so far is that there’s some enthusiasm, but not comparable to four years …
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Crowds brave chilly night, long lines at Jiffy Lube Live for Obama's swing-state campaign stop just days before Tuesday's election.
A huge crowd braved long lines — some waiting as long as five hours — and a cold Saturday night to hear President Barack Obama make his case for reelection at a grassroots rally at Bristow’s Jiffy Lube Live amphitheater. The campaign stop also featured former President Bill Clinton and Virginia-native Dave Matthews. In his late-night address to the crowd, Obama cast the election as a choice between two different visions of America. “The people who need a champion are the Americans whose letters I read late at night; the men and women I meet on the campaign trail every day,” Obama said. “It’s about the kids dreaming of becoming scientists or doctors, engineers or entrepreneurs, diplomats or even a president. They need a champion because the…
Dave Webster
3:28 pm on Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Isis, Fairfax County can't implement early voting. That has to come from the General Assembly. I don't know what the economics are on purchasing machines, but it was my personal experience being a poll watcher that the electronic voting machines had a failure rate that was too high. In McLean one day, I saw two machines that froze up and had to be restarted and one that had to be removed and … more ›