Election Day ‘09

7:00 p.m.

By WSLS News Staff

The polls are now closed.

The Associated Press reports:

Interviews with voters leaving polling stations in Virginia showed that independents - the crown jewel of elections because they often determine outcomes - broke heavily for Republican Bob McDonnell, fleeing Democrat R. Creigh Deeds.

Exit polls showed that nearly a third of voters in Virginia during the day described themselves as independents and they preferred the Republican to the Democrat by almost a 2-1 margin.

It was a reversal of a year ago when independents in the pivotal swing state and across the country tilted heavily toward the Democrats, fueling Obama’s White House victory.

In another troubling omen for Democrats, the surveys also showed that more of the Virginians who turned out on Tuesday said they supported Republican John McCain in 2008 than said they backed Obama. That suggests the Democrats had difficulty turning out their base, including the swarms of first-time minority and youth voters whom Obama attracted as part of his diverse coalition.

After more than a year of recession, the exit polls showed that the economy trumped all other issues for voters.

More than four in 10 voters in Virginia said their view of Obama factored into their choice on Tuesday. People who said they disapprove of Obama’s job approval voted overwhelmingly Republican, and those who approve of the president favored Deeds, the Democrat.

“I hope this will kind of send a message to Congress that you better do what we want or we won’t re-elect you,“ said Linda Doland, 60, a nanny in suburban Richmond who voted for McDonnell.

Ali Ganyuma, 39, a physical therapist in Richmond, hoped his vote for Deeds also would send a message to Washington.

“The biggest reason why I voted for Creigh Deeds was in the national politics, not local politics, because the right wing might take these as an ultimatum, a verdict on Obama’s administration,“ he said.

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4:50 p.m.

By WSLS News Staff

Lynchburg City’s Registrar’s office says as of 12:30 p.m., about 23% percent of registered voters had cast their ballots.

The Registrar’s office will not have another update until after the polls close.

However, the Registrar’s office says at some of the larger precincts they had seen a surge of voters since 12:30 p.m..

Back in 2005, 16,850 registered voters cast ballots in Lynchburg.  That’s a 43.69% voter turn out.

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4:34 p.m.

By WSLS News Staff

We have an update from the Roanoke City’s Registrar’s office.

As of 3:00 p.m., 13,661 votes had been cast in the City.  That’s 22.39% of all registered voters in the City.

That contrasts with 2005, when 15,384 votes had been cast by 3:00 p.m., 27.54% of all registered voters in the City.

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4:28 p.m.

By Lynchburg News & Advance

At Lynchburg’s Heritage Elementary School voting precinct, there was heavy voting by students from Liberty University this afternoon, said Lynchburg registrar Pat Bower. By 3:15 p.m., about 1,700 of the precinct’s 5,613 registered voters had cast their ballots.

Some LU students showed up to learn their registration hadn’t been recorded. Bower said a batch of registration application forms that apparently were collected in one dormitory didn’t get turned in to the registrar’s office.

In Bedford, the voter turnout was 28 percent of registered voters at 3 p.m., Registrar Barbara Gunter said.

At the Moose Lodge on Lakeside Dr., the lunch rush was over by 2:40 p.m. Precinct Chief Fred Giles said 25 percent of registered voters had turned up—a total of 1,245—most of whom chose paper ballots.

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4:00 p.m.

By WSLS News Staff

We have an update in from Roanoke County on voter turnout.

In the County, the Registrar’s office say by 3:00 p.m. 20,850 votes had been cast.  That’s 31.64% of all registered voters.

That contrasts with 2005, the previous Governor’s race, where by 3:00 p.m. 21,537 votes had been cast, 35.16% of all registered voters.

We’re still waiting to hear from Roanoke City’s Registrar’s office for an afternoon update.

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3:51 p.m.

By Ashley Roberts
WSLS Reporter

As of 2:00 p.m., the Montgomery County Registrar’s office says 12,853 voters had cast a ballot.  The county has a total of 54,567 voters registered.

At the largest precinct in the County, E-1, only 831 voters had cast their ballot by 2:57 p.m.  The precinct is home to 5,715 registered voters, most of them Virginia Tech students.

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3:30 p.m.

By WSLS News Staff

The State Board of Elections (SBOE) says overall voter turnout across the Commonwealth has been lower than last year’s Presidential election, and that was expected.

The SBOE adds that it has received 316 calls as of noon, which was significantly fewer than in the Presidential election and about the “usual number” for statewide elections.

In 2005, the last Governor’s race, about 45% of registered voters turned out, and 75,982 voted absentee according to the SBOE.

So far, the SBOE has approved 120,916 absentee ballot applications, and seen 98,955 already returned to registrars across the Commonwealth.  The SBOE noted that since 2005, the General Assembly expanded the reason that someone can qualify to vote absentee.

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3:25 p.m.

By WSLS News Staff

Reports on voter turnout in Roanoke County are delayed because the polls are busy, according to election officials.

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2:00 p.m.

By WSLS News Staff

Orchard Hills Church of the Holy Spirit in Botetourt County was hit by a 55-year old woman before noon today.  She apparently pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake, according to Sgt. Robert Carpentieri of the Virginia State Police.

The church sustained around $2,500 in damage, and the car around $1,000 in damage, said Carpentieri. The driver, Virginia Berry, was not charged in the incident.

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1:25 p.m.

By WSLS News Staff

Roanoke City’s Registrar’s office tells us they’ve had 6,348 votes cast as of 10:00 a.m.  That’s 10.4% of all registered voters.

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12:59 p.m.

By Danville Register & Bee

Signs crowded the front lawn of I. W. Taylor Elementary School on Piney Forest Road to greet residents as they parked to vote.

Danville Register & Bee staff writer Tara Bozick also greeted voters outside.

Adrian Bethel, a 33-year-old social services worker, walked past the signs to cast his vote. He sent out a mass text from his cell phone earlier to remind all of his friends and family to get out on Election Day.

“Don’t just vote for the president, vote for the stuff that really matters in the city,” Bethel said he told them.

Bethel said he was still deciding between Delegate Danny Marshall (Republican) and contender Seward Anderson (Democrat) for the House of Delegate’s 14th District as he walked to the poll.

He also found the Danville city sheriff’s race interesting. Bethel knows all three candidates and thinks any of them would do a good job. He just wants city leaders to get tough and more involved.

“I think crime is the biggest issue,” Bethel said. “Danville’s getting bad.”

People may also know Bethel from him working in the Belk’s men’s store.

Sharon Stokes, Head Start nutrition manager, voted for Democrats. She thinks education and crime are the more important issues.

Stokes likes the idea of a drug court to help and rehabilitate drug users.

Voter Dan White, pastor of Calvary Church of the Nazarene in Danville, voted Republican because they share his values.

He’s proud of the city of Danville and said it’s his “duty” to vote. While he voted on shared values, he would also like to see more jobs come to the area.

Sheila Baynes, Danville Democratic Committee chair, handed out “sample ballot” fliers to show voters how to vote a Democrat ticket.

Baynes plans to visit the polling places for different precincts. She stands with telephone in hand to keep track of voter turnout at precincts where the committee expects good Democratic turnout.

Campaigners talked to each other about their efforts and why they’re volunteering their time for candidates while waiting for voters.

College student Terrance Cooper, 19, got involved in an election for the first time because he knew city sheriff candidate Lt. Thelbert Childress. He started campaigning just this morning after he voted himself.

“For me, the crime rate and youth deaths going on – that’s the issue,” Cooper said. “I just want to encourage people to come out and vote. You’re not going to accomplish anything sitting at home. You have to get out and vote.”

Brenda Dix, who lives in Milton, N.C., campaigned for her son-in-law and commonwealth’s attorney candidate Michael Newman.

She and Michele Edwards of Ringgold arrived at the school at 6 a.m. They sat together in pop-out lawn chairs while eating fast food breakfasts.

Joe Fugate hung out with them while he campaigned for commonwealth’s attorney candidate Claudette Robertson. He knew Robertson and lived nearby, so he walked across the street to work the poll.

They called Edwards a “poster child” as she wore a sign that looked like a sample ballot checking off city sheriff candidate Lt. Mike Mondul. Edwards started campaigning for Mondul in November 2008.

The group of campaigners said they try not to be obnoxious to voters. They’ve been having fun and laughing a lot.

Dix understands most people have already made up their minds on candidates, but she likes hearing from the voters about how they support a candidate. She appreciates the feedback.

“It’s nice to know you’re not wasting your time,” Dix said.

“Hopefully, at the end of the day, it will be worth it,” Edwards added.

Meanwhile, polls at the Ringgold and Tunstall fire stations were late opening Tuesday morning, causing some voters to leave before they could vote, according to Pittsylvania County Registrar Jenny Lee Sanders.

Sanders said the poll workers at the two locations had trouble setting up the new electronic poll books, causing them to open late. She did not know how long it was before they opened, but estimated about 15 or 20 minutes after 6 a.m.

“The chief and staff (in Ringgold) had difficulty opening up this morning,” Sanders said, “and they had some impatient people and they wanted to get in and vote… It’s just human error.”

Sanders said she had spoken with the election chief in Ringgold and said “he was very upset over it.” She said she was under the impression that the poll workers “neglected to keep track of the time” while setting up the new equipment before opening the polls.

Voters at the Tunstall Fire Station faced a similar problem, Sanders said.

“If people left, I don’t have any control over that,” Sanders said. “Certainly no one was turned away.”

The polls have been open and operating successfully since this morning, Sanders said. There have been no other reported problems in the county. 

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12:45 p.m.

The Democratic candidate for Governor, State Senator Creigh Deeds, voted Tuesday morning in his home county.

Deeds woke up early, arriving to the poll in Millboro around 6:30 a.m.  Dozens of Bath County citizens showed up to vote and show their support for Deeds, including two women who gave Deeds a big hug outside the polling place.

Speaking with reporters after he voted, Deeds reiterated that the only poll that matters will be taken today.

Click here to find out what Deeds thinks about this campaign.

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11:47 a.m.

The Republican candidate for Governor Bob McDonnell cast his ballot in Glen Allen, a suburb of Richmond, Tuesday morning with his family.

McDonnell said he was proud that his twin sons could vote for him for the first time.  The pair were too young back in 2005 to vote.

Click here to read about the joke McDonnell told reporters about how he got his children to vote for him, as well as what he told reporters about his stance toward policies from Washington if elected Governor.

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11:11 a.m.

By the Lynchburg News & Advance

As of 10 a.m., about 500 of the 5,613 voters registered to vote in Lynchburg’s largest precinct had cast their ballots. Many of them were Liberty University students.

Heritage Elementary School serves as the voting place for the precinct, which is the fourth in Lynchburg’s Ward III. Buses rolled up to the school every few minutes from LU, carrying fewer than half a dozen students each, but they were expected to carry larger loads of students later in the day.

One of the students who was at the precinct early, Mark Etheridge, said he voted because “we were told by our chancellor about the effect government has on students,“ particularly the food tax charged in restaurants.

“I figured since I am here in college for four years I should get involved,“ Etheridge said.

Another student, Owen Fahy, said it was important that Liberty students vote because the election could affect property rights.

Outside the polling place, coffee was provided by Liberty University’s food service under a tent staffed by LU’s College Republicans.

Nearby, Walter Fore and other Democratic Party volunteers handed out sample ballots that suggested people should vote for Democrats.
“I want to let people know Democrats vote here too,“ Fore said. “This is not a precinct for Liberty students only.“

Fore said he sensed a “fear factor” when some people declined to accept the sample ballots, telling him “I’d better not take that” ballot.

The Moose Lodge on Lakeside Drive in Lynchburg saw a small line around 9 a.m., where Republican House of Delegates candidate Scott Garrett was seen voting.

Poll captain Fred Giles said 480 people had voted at the poll station in the first three hours, slightly less than 10 percent.

Giles said the turnout was normal for the poll in a non-presidential election.

At the Heritage United Methodist Church polling place on Leesville Road in Lynchburg, a steady stream of voters flowed in and out this morning. The church yard was ringed with election signs, even more than on the presidential election day last year.

Inside, two neighbors discussed what they did over the weekend as poll workers offered voters a choice of paper or electronic ballots. “Paper is faster,” said one poll worker. The polling place had four portable booths for casting paper ballots, and one for electronic.

To avoid spreading germs, voters used thin plastic coffee stirrers to touch the electronic voting screen. The stirrers worked well, maybe better than a finger touch, said the poll worker at the machine.

As of 9:20 a.m., more than 300 people had cast ballots here. No candidates were in sight.

At First Christian Church on Rivermont Avenue, a man was overheard quipping, “Where do I vote for Franklin Delano Roosevelt?“

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10:47 a.m.

The Roanoke County Registrar’s office tells us voter turnout is running about 2% lower at this time, than the previous Governor’s race in 2005.

As of 10:00 a.m. 10,493 votes cast.  That’s 15.92% of all County registered voters.  Back in 2005, 17.62% were cast by 10:00 a.m.

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10:05 a.m.

According to the State Board of Elections official Twitter feed, as of Monday there have been 120,916 absentee applications approved for the November Election, and 98,955 absentee ballots already returned to registrars.

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6:40 a.m.

The Salem Registrar’s office says it is using Q-tips for people to vote on the electronic touch screen machines, to help control the spread of the seasonal and swine flu.  WSLS’s Angela Hatcher reported on what steps other areas are taking to prevent the flu at the polls on Monday.

Dana Oliver, the Salem Registrar, also tells us in an e-mail that their office is using electronic pollbooks, and not paper ones.

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4:03 a.m.

The latest polls show Republican Bob McDonnell with a double digit lead over Democrat Creigh Deeds in the race for governor.

Today’s election could be a clean sweep for the GOP ticket, the first time since 1997.

But the Democrats are hoping Virginians will continue a blue voting trend, set in last November’s elections.

Also on the ballot are races for lieutenant governor, attorney general and the House of Delegates.

Democrat Jody Wagner is challenging Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, who is seeking a second term. Two Fairfax County legislators, Republican Ken Cuccinelli and Democrat Steve Shannon, are running for attorney general.

69 of Virginia’s 100 House seats are contested.

The polls open today at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.. As long as you are in line when the polls close, you will be able to vote.

To find information on polling places in your precinct and what forms of identification you need to bring with you, go to: http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/index.html

Stay with WSLS 10 On Your Side and wsls.com for the latest results and information as Election Day ‘09 unfolds.