By Kate Shellnutt
Across Virginia, up to 65 percent of registered voters were expected to
cast ballots Tuesday, a remarkably high turnout for a November midterm
election, according to state election officials.
Energizing voters are two issues in particular: The proposed marriage
amendment and a hotly competitive Senate race between incumbent George
Allen and Democratic challenger Jim Webb. The expected turnout is nearly
double the figures for the last midterm election in 2002.
In Lexington, turnout reached 55 percent on Tuesday, up just one
percentage point from the 2002 election, when Republican John Warner
beat two independent candidates. Rockbridge County also saw an increase
in voter turnout, with 57 percent of voters casting ballots this year
and 52 in the previous midterm election. Just 40 percent of registered
voters in Buena Vista made it to the polls in 2002, and this year, the
city’s turnout rose to 49 percent.
Morris Trimmer, an officer of the election for the Lexington precinct,
said he has never seen such long lines and high turnout.
“There is a lot of interest in the Senate race, and there is a lot of
interest in one of the amendments,” said Trimmer. “That’s gotten a lot
of people stirred up about the election.”
For this midterm election, more local voters are submitting absentee
ballots than in the past. Carolyn Rendleman, Lexington’s voter
registrar, received over 115 absentee ballots at least a week before
Election Day and is expecting 15 more. In 2002, she received only 83
total.
The Office of the Registrar in Buena Vista received 37 of 48 requested
absentee ballots as of Nov. 2. Only 26 voters submitted their absentee
ballots in 2002.
Nationwide, more voters will vote absentee this election than ever
before, according to Stateline.org, a policy and politics news site. The
site reports that one out of three voters will cast their ballots before
election day.
In Virginia, 115,422 voters submitted absentee ballots, said Clay Landa
of the State Board of Elections. In the 2002 midterm elections, 44,493
ballots had been returned, he said.
Get-out-the-vote campaigns, such as door-to-door bus services, take less
credit for high turnout at the polls this Election Day.
Motty Moore, the nurse and director of the Mayflower nursing home in
Lexington, said the home does not provide transportation to the polls
for its residents.
“Usually, their families come and take them,” she said.
John Lassen, Rockbridge Area Transportation Service driver took a few
Lexington residents to the polls on Election Day as a part of the
organization’s “Free Voter Rides” program.
“So far, just one,” he said. “But I’m taking another after lunch, and,
of course, I’ll vote this afternoon, too.”
For Lassen, driving elderly and disabled voters is one of the most
important trips he makes all year.
“Citizens need to take the opportunity to vote. Voting is important,
especially with the issues on the ballot now,” said Lassen.
The Associated Press contributed to
this article.
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Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.
Lead supervisor: Prof. Claudette Artwick
Reporting supervisors:
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd