Registrar: Ready for packed polls

With record voter turnout expected on Election Day, Culpeper County officials say they’ve done everything they can to make Tuesday’s voting experience as smooth as possible.

But at the same time, county Registrar Michele White said she hopes everyone will exercise patience and tact at the polls while they wait.

“We’re doing the best we can,” said White, acknowledging that voters may have to wait 30 minutes or more at some of the county’s busiest polling places. “It’s very possible that someone would have to wait that long.”

With about 4,600 registered voters, White said the West Fairfax precinct in the town is the busiest, followed closely by Jeffersonton in the northern part of the county. Mitchells is the least busy, with about 500 registered voters.

Overall, 27,107 people are registered to vote in Culpeper County. The deadline was Oct. 6.

On Election Day, voters will cast their ballots on one of 47 electronic machines. In order to provide the maximum number of machines possible, only one will be held as a spare.

Despite the General Assembly’s decision that Virginia will phase out its electronic voting machines after this election in favor of the old paper ballots, White said the machines, which were purchased in 2004, have been trouble-free.

“We went the route of making sure we as many voting machines as possible,” White said of the decision.

Although the machines should be somewhat familiar to voters, White said poll workers will be ready to help. She said that if anyone has a problem, he or she should ask a poll worker for assistance.

Even though a perception exists that the electronic machines are responsible for delays, White said, most of the delays at the polls are actually due to the use of paper poll books.

Three of the county’s 13 polling places are public schools, which will be closed on Tuesday. The other 10 locations are churches or fire stations.

In the meantime, White said her office has been busy receiving and processing absentee ballots. The deadline to vote absentee in person is Culpeper County is Saturday at 5 p.m.

“We’re making a real effort to greet everyone and tell them that we’ll be with them as soon as we can,” she said.

Lawsuit pending
Earlier this week, Virginia’s overall Election Day preparations were called into question by the NAACP, which filed a federal lawsuit in Richmond charging that the state hadn’t done enough to accommodate the anticipated turnout.

A hearing seeking a preliminary injunction on the matter set for Thursday morning was canceled, according to the Associated Press. A new date has not been set.
NAACP officials said they were withdrawing their preliminary injunction, but not their lawsuit.

In the complaint, the group asks the court to order the state to reallocate voting machines to precincts most likely to have long waiting lines — specifically polling places with a large population of minority voters — and to keep polls open for an additional two hours.

The group contends that long lines in the 2004 election and inadequate preparation for the heavy voter turnout during Virginia’s Democratic primary in February cost votes.

Misinformation debunked
With the election days away, the state issued several statements this week, debunking rumors about last-minute changes to the state’s voting rules.

On Tuesday, the polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. Anyone in line by 7 p.m. will be able to vote.

And on Monday, officials said voters should ignore information that had been circulating in the Hampton Roads area. To reduce waiting times at the polls, a phony flyer — which included official-looking state seals and contact information — indicated that Republican voters should vote Nov. 4 and Democratic voters should vote Nov. 5.

In truth, the only day to vote at the polls is Nov. 4.

Absentee voting ends Saturday
Saturday is the last day for Virginia voters to cast an absentee ballot in person. Residents who would like to do so must come to the county registrar’s office at 151 N. Main St. between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Voters should bring a valid form of identification or their voter registration card and be prepared to state on their absentee application why they will be unable to vote on Tuesday. The deadline to vote absentee by mail has passed.
For more information, call the county registrar’s office at 825-0652.

UPCOMING ELECTION COVERAGE

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Update on absentee voting and the state’s political clothing ban

SUNDAY
Analysis of the county’s fourth try at the meals tax referendum

MONDAY
An overall look at what you’ll be seeing on Tuesday’s ballot

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