Voters head to the polls Tuesday to cast votes for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general in one of only two gubernatorial races this year. The other state electing a governor is New Jersey.
Polls open here at 6 a.m. on Tuesday and close at 7 p.m.
Voters going to the polls in Halifax County will choose from a slate of three candidates for governor, including Republican candidate Edward W. “Ed” Gillespie, Democratic candidate Ralph S. Northam and Libertarian candidate Clifford D. Hyra.
On the ballot for lieutenant governor are Republican candidate Jill H. Vogel and Democratic candidate Justin E. Fairfax, while Democrat Mark R. Herring and Republican candidate John D. Adams are on the ballot for attorney general.
Closer to home, James E. Edmunds II, a Republican, is running for re-election to a fifth two-year term for the 60th District House of Delegates seat with opposition from Democrat Jamaal M. Johnston.
Three Halifax County Board of Supervisors seats are up for election with ED-6 incumbent Supervisor Larry Giordano facing a challenge from write-in candidate Stanley Brandon.
ED-3 Supervisor Hubert Pannell is running unopposed for another term, while Jeffrey Francisco also is running unopposed in Election District-2, replacing veteran supervisor Tom West, who announced earlier this year he would not seek re-election.
Halifax County residents will select four school board members Tuesday, with Clinton Boone and Sandra Garner-Coleman vying for the ED-3 seat currently occupied by Kim Farson, who is not seeking re-election.
ED-2 candidate Roy Keith Lloyd, ED-3 candidate Sammie Todd Moser and ED-7 incumbent Monty Lowery all are running unopposed.
Gubernatorial race
The gubernatorial race between Northam and Ed Gillespie has not yet spurred an uptick in voter interest among Halifax County residents, according to Halifax County Registrar Heather Harding.
Absentee ballots are running “about the same” as the last gubernatorial election, Harding said, but the registrar did note an increase in absentee ballots for one of the two competitive races in Halifax County.
That race is in ED-6, where the incumbent supervisor is facing a write-in challenge from Brandon.
“The district I’ve had more interest in is District 6. My absentee ballots have increased in that district,” said Harding.
Harding added she hasn’t noticed any signs of a boost in voter turnout in Halifax County over four years ago.
If one party has a strong performance at the top of the ticket, the gubernatorial race, it could help members of that party in any partisan election, according to Geoffrey Skelley, associate editor for Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
“The top of the ticket usually drives turnout for elections, so what happens in the gubernatorial race could impact down-ballot contests on Nov. 7,” said Skelley.
That is known as the “coattails effect,” added Skelley.
“The top of the ticket influences down-ballot races because the vast majority of voters will cast straight-ticker ballots for the party they prefer,” he explained.
A fairly strong primary turnout on the Republican side and a record-setting primary turnout on the Democratic side in June, might point to high interest and a high voter turnout on Tuesday, at least in terms of raw votes in a non-presidential primary, Skelley said.
“We really can’t say for sure, there’s little else to go on, and it’s good to keep turnout in context,” he said.
“The number of voters who show up for an off-year gubernatorial election in Virginia is a far cry from the total who vote in a presidential year.
“In 2012 and 2016, about two-thirds of the voting-age population (VEP) in Virginia cast a ballot.
“In the 2013 gubernatorial election, just 38 percent did,” continued Skelley.
“That sounds low, of course, but it was actually the highest gubernatorial VEP turnout in recent times.
“So far, fewer people will vote in 2017 than in 2016. Just how many fewer is an important question, but one that is tough to predict.”
Any registered Virginia voter can take part in this year’s election, and absentee voters had until Saturday to vote an absentee ballot in person at the local election office.
Voters with qualifying emergencies are allowed to apply to vote absentee ballots through 5 p.m. the day before the election.
Halifax County voters needing to find out where to go in order to cast their ballots can contact the Halifax County Registrar’s Office at 434-476-3322 or visit www.elections,virginia.gov/voter-outreach/where-to-vote/html for information.
Virginia law requires voters to provide photo identification to cast a ballot, and voters without an ID can obtain one from the voter registration office.
Voters who forget their ID can cast a provisional ballot on Election Day, but they must provide an acceptable form of ID to local election officials before their vote can be counted.
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