Polls open for state elections

Bob Gibson / Charlottesville Daily Progress
Published: November 5, 2007

Virginians go to the polls today to choose local government officials and to fill all 140 seats in the General Assembly, although most legislative elections are uncontested.

Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. across the state.

A blustery weather forecast calls for the chance of a few lingering showers in the early morning followed by clearing and windy conditions and high temperatures in the mid-50s.

"It's not going to be the weather that keeps people from voting," said Jerry W. Stenger, research coordinator for the University of Virginia's climatology office. "It will be a good day to go out and vote."

Election officials predict light to moderate voter turnout today, depending on the number and nature of contested races, most of them local and some involving heated contests for sheriff in rural counties.

Sheri Iachetta, Charlottesville's voter registrar, said she hopes for a turnout in the range of 30 percent to 35 percent of registered voters based on the higher-than-normal 323 total of absentee voters for a City Council election.

"It's the first time we've had a School Board election and a City Council election in November," she said. Five candidates are seeking three seats on City Council and seven candidates are vying for four seats on the School Board.

Jake Washburne, Albemarle County's registrar, expects a higher turnout in the county due to contested races for sheriff, commonwealth's attorney, circuit court clerk, three Board of Supervisor seats and an at-large School Board seat.

Albemarle had 899 applications for absentee ballots and expects higher turnout than the 32 percent showing for local elections four years ago, he said.

"I'm hoping it will be in the mid-40s [for turnout percentage]," Washburne said. "I'm thinking we'll at least get a better turnout than the last set of local elections."

Washburne also urged voters in two county precincts near Charlottesville to vote early, preferably before 4 p.m., today to avoid traffic and parking problems around a rock concert by The Police at UVa's John Paul Jones Arena.

University Hall Precinct is directly across the street from the $50- to $225-a-seat concert in the 16,000-seat arena, with doors opening in advance at 6:30 p.m. for the concert. Voters at University Hall and the nearby East Ivy Precinct, which votes at UVa's Faulkner House, home of the Miller Center of Public Affairs on Old Ivy Road, were sent postcards and are urged to vote before 4 p.m. to avoid traffic and parking problems surrounding the concert.

Statewide, about nine closely contested races for Virginia Senate seats appear likely to determine whether Democrats wrest control of the 40-member body by picking up a net of four or more seats or whether General Assembly control remains in Republican hands.

Depending on the outcome of tight races, control of the Senate could swing either way or end up at a 20-20 tie with some, but not all, tie-breaking power in the hands of Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Mechanicsville Republican.

Democrats would need to pick up 11 seats above their current 40 to gain a majority in the House of Delegates, something both parties call unlikely.

The tightest and most expensive House race within 50 miles of Charlottesville is in the 59th District, which stretches from southern Albemarle south through Nelson, Buckingham and portions of Fluvanna County to Appomattox. Del. Watkins M. Abbitt Jr., I-Appomattox, raised $304,609 through Oct. 24 while challenger Connie Brennan, a Nelson County Democrat, raised $319,644.

Central Virginia residents have mostly uncontested House races, as Dels. David J. Toscano of Charlottesville, Rob Bell of Albemarle County, R. Steven Landes of Weyers Cave and Edward T. Scott of Madison County all are running unopposed. Toscano is the only Democrat. Bell, Landes and Scott are Republicans.