From staff reports
Tuesday's election was free of long lines and major glitches in most places, but some voters in Suffolk and Virginia Beach encountered problems.
In Suffolk, a glitch with the electronic poll books led to some people who showed up to vote being listed as absentee voters.
It appeared that data from last year was downloaded into the system, said David Sylvia, chairman of Suffolk's Electoral Board. That meant that at least some, if not all, of the residents who voted absentee in the 2008 election were shown as having received an absentee ballot this year.
This is the first year that all precincts are using the electronic poll books, but a paper version - which had the correct information - was available as a backup.
Sylvia said he didn't know how many voters had been affected, but it had the potential to be several thousand. More than 6,000 people voted absentee in Suffolk last year - more than usual, because of the presidential election.
Anyone whose voting status couldn't immediately be confirmed was given a paper ballot, Sylvia said.
"It's not a problem with votes being lost or anything like that," he said. "All the valid, legal voters are counted."
Representatives from the state Board of Elections plan to visit Suffolk today to look into what happened, he said.
In Virginia Beach, Registrar Pat Harrington said she called Republican Party officials after a voter at Salem Middle School complained that Republican observers were standing behind election officials, viewing voters' information on their computer screens, and sending text messages or e-mails based on the information.
Harrington said observers are allowed to sit inside precincts and record voters' names and addresses but cannot stand behind election workers, check identifications or read information on computers. She asked the party to tell them to move.
Virginia GOP spokesman TimMurtaugh said both major political parties use poll watchers as part of their get-out-the-vote efforts.
"You want to know who has voted so that later in the day you know who hasn't voted and you can try to encourage them to," he said. "It's about boosting turnout. There's nothing sinister about it."
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not just my opinion
From the Washington Post:
"Off-year elections can be unreliable as predictors of future, but for Obama's party: It's no longer '08."
obama is the real loser
This election was a referendum on President Obama's policies. He lost Virginia, a purple state, as well as New Jersey, a reliably blue state.
I guess the electorate hasn't been pickin' up what President Obama has been throwin' down.
I hope he and his ego take heed.
maybe not
"Still, majorities of voters in both states (56 percent in Virginia and 60 percent in New Jersey) said President Obama was not a factor in their vote today"
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/11/03/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5514455.shtml
"Vast economic discontent marked the mood of Tuesday's off-year voters, portending potential trouble for incumbents generally and Democrats in particular in 2010. Still the gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey looked less like a referendum on Barack Obama than a reflection of their own candidates and issues."
http://abcnews.go.com/PollingUnit/Politics/election-2009-virginia-jersey-exit-polls-obama-economy/story?id=8984551
c'mon already
it's 715pm....start showing the butt whippin your flunky deeds it's gettin.....
Don't worry about the election...
it's 715pm....start showing the butt whippin your flunky deeds it's gettin.....
Perhaps it's time for you to show us how to make a comprehensive sentence, with correct spelling. :)
Those who live in glass houses....
Perhaps it's time you show us how to write a sentence with proper comma usage.
Nice work, Deeds!
I came home to a flyer on my porch telling me to "Stand With Obama" and vote for Creigh Deeds. Trouble is, it listed the incorrect polling station for my neighborhood. Nice work, Deeds!
LAp dog Kaine
Good job Timmy ;>
Governors Race 2009
Good Evening,
I do have some concern over the lack of voters that showed up in the Governors election. I agree the Presidential election was a very important race and I am pleased President Obama won. I feel we are safer and more respected. If you dont think being respected as a country isnt important you are dead wrong. Ask our World War II vets. Im not worried about who wins the Virginia race. The republican party is very angry and want revenge and they might have revenge in this governor race. Our country is still run by a Democrat for the next 3 years and hopefully for the next 7 years. Time will tell for both parties. I am just glad McCain isnt president right now. We need a president that will listen to both sides and right now hes been criticized by both sides because hes listening to all Americans. That is what he was elected to do. If McCain won wed be bombing Iran right now. Boy that would really helps things in the Middle East! LOL! I applaud all the winners of the Governors races tonight. I hope they decide to lead considering all Americans not just their political party. God Bless America!
what?
Apostrophes. They’re a good idea if you want to be taken seriously.
Voter turnout is an indictment of campaigns run.
First, anyone who decided to turn the VA Governor's race into a statement on the Obama/McCain race, really shows that they really didn't care about what's best for the Commonwealth.
The lack of voters can be largely attributed to an ugly, disgusting, annoying, and harassing campaign run by both camps. Over the past 3 days, the Deeds campaign has called my house once or twice an evening with the same recorded message. McDonnell's commercial campaign was nothing more than a finger pointing "OOOH LOOKIT WHAT HE DID OVER THERE!" trip.
The only people running for election that didn't try to disgust the voters with constant negative campaign ads were pretty much the people running unchallenged. Awesome job unchallenged incumbents, awesome.
Oh, he (obama) may be
Oh, he (obama) may be listening to both side, but he is only acting on one side. Obama is merely a puppet pulled by a few in Congress. Just look at health care or cap and trade.
As far as America's respect, if apologizing for everything is benchmark for respect, then who wants it. I don't him apologizing that my grandfather bled in europe to free them from Hitler. I don't want him apologizing to Mexico because we can't take all the illegals coming through their boarders. And I surely don't want him apologizing to the Muslims because we support Israel. Most of the military I know are now more embarrassed because of his actions rather than proud. Is that you idea of respect?
BTW -- if you don't think Governships matter, if you don't think Senate seats matter, I'm glad. Just stay home.
Chief
Thank you
Hearing Sara Palin on the phone...
just makes me want to vote for McDonnell... not!
http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2009/11/as-palin-robocalls-in-virginia-mcdonnell-keeps-his-distance.html
Isn't she the same person that disliked robocalls last year?
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/10/20/1572424.aspx
Hmm... guess both have a history of 'change' when it matters.
Yo Pilot
Some of us are getting spammed or whatever the term is: when trying to submit a comment a cople time today a weird page appears asking if we have registered with a certain company or service.
Is this something you are aware of? If not you might wanna check it out - someone's busted in.
Same here!
Glad to know it's not us?
Breifly said "technical difficulties" with Pilot online!
This sit has been terribly slow lately?
Same here!
Glad to know it's not us?
It briefly said "technical difficulties" with Pilot online!
No Spam...
I think it's an issue with their server... too much traffic.
The importance of local elections
So many people foolishly complain about who gets elected for President, but they don't realize that it is the state, city and county officials that actually affect their lives and not so much the national ones.
Voted this afternoon: it was a breeze. In and out in less than five minutes.
WILL ROGERS SAID
"All politics are local'. I voted at my polling station around 5 PM. The folks there stated that just over 600 had come in to vote. Last year there were probably 600 every couple of hours! The lines were incredibly long. All of those diehard democrats that came out for the 'black' man couldn't be bothered to show up yesterday. The conservatives and independents were heard loud and clear. We are sickened by the 'tax and spend' mentality! We are sickened by the 'budget cuts and layoffs'! We want true accountability and responsibility from BOTH SIDES in Richmond and in DC! The powers that be in Washington better be taking heed. This is a direct commentary on how the general public feels about the 'hope and change' politics of this administration and Congress.