Tuesday, November 6, 2012
A look at the day around Northern Virginia and in Richmond.
- ELECTIONS
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Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Voters across Northern Virginia headed to the polls Tuesday and Patch was there to capture every moment. After the polls closed, supporters gathered across the area to await results. Supporters of Tim Kaine and George Allen gathered Tuesday night in Richmond, along with many volunteers from the state's Barack Obama and Mitt Romney offices. Did you take photos today? Upload them here! Otherwise click through the gallery in the media player above to see what we captured.
Long lines and wait times were common at polling locations this morning.
Update (7 p.m. Nov.6, 2012): Election officials at Precinct One in Fairfax City report that they have received 1,450 ballots of 2,458 active registered voters as of 6 p.m. As of 5 p.m., Precinct Two had received 1,415 ballots of 2,200 active registered voters. --- Fairfax City residents went to the polls at a steady pace Tuesday morning, braving early morning chills and long lines at polling stations. As of 10:50 a.m., 692 of 2,492 active registered voters had cast their ballots in Precinct One at Fairfax Presbyterian Church, said Bob Johnson, deputy chief election officer at the location. About 250 absentee ballots had also been received, he said. Johnson said the turnout Tuesday morning had been high, with an early morning line that …
The 11th District incumbent cast his ballot early Tuesday morning.
U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11th) stopped by the Mantua precinct in Fairfax County early Tuesday morning to cast his vote in the 2012 general election. Connolly is running for re-election in the Virginia's 11th Congressional District and faces opposition from Republican and retired Army Colonel Chris Perkins, Green Party Candidate Joe Galdo and Independents Mark Gibson, Chris DeCarlo and Peter Marchetti. Connolly arrived at the Fairfax Circle Baptist Church around 6:30 a.m. After voting, he shook hands with voters before continuing on to what is sure to be a busy day.
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George Mason University's Michael McDonald said swing states have been releasing affiliations of early voters, but who wins Virginia won't be clear until the polls close.
President Barack Obama is heading into Election Day with slim early voting leads in a number of battleground states that could help him win the election. That's the analysis from Michael McDonald, a George Mason University professor and expert on early voting whose Monday lecture — "State of the Race: Who Will Win the Presidential Election?" — gave a glimpse at early voting numbers just hours before polls opened Tuesday. McDonald said if Obama could win a combination of Nevada or Iowa, plus Wisconsin and Ohio, he could win a second term in the Oval Office. While no votes are being counted until Election Day, McDonald, who tallies early voting statistics for the United States Elections Project, said some swing states have been releasing the…
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Patch will bring you updates throughout Election Day as two former Virginia governors face off for an open Senate seat.
The U.S. Senate race in Virginia lived up to its reputation going into Tuesday's election, as being a tight race between two former governors. Final unofficial results around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday showed Tim Kaine with 51.89 percent of the state vote to Republican challenger George Allen's 47.92 percent of the vote across Virginia. Kaine won by comfortable margins in Northern Virginia jurisdictions, defeating Allen 71.40 percent to 28.42 percent in Falls Church; 60.53 percent to 39.01 percent in Fairfax County; and 65.83 to 33.86 percent in Arlington County, according to the State Board of Elections. As of 1:33 a.m. Wednesday, all precincts in the state had reported their results. Update 11:21 p.m.: Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell congratulated …
Changes to eminent domain and veto session scheduling pass by wide margins.
Virginia residents voted to pass two amendments to the Virginia Constitution when they went out to the polls Tuesday. About 75 percent of voters, more than 2.3 million people, voted "yes" to amending the state's eminent domain policies. The measure will prohibit local governments from using eminent domain for economic development and job creation. The measure was a bit less popular in localities such as Fairfax County, where 62 percent of voters decided to pass the amendment. Question 2, which will allow the General Assembly to postpone its veto session in the event of scheduling conflicts of religious holidays, was much more popular. About 82 percent of voters, or 2.6 million people, said yes to the amendment. Update (12:05 a.m. Nov. 7, …
Monday, November 5, 2012
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney stopped in Fairfax for a last-minute rally at the Patriot Center.
Mitt Romney neared the end of his presidential campaign with a spirited rally in Fairfax Monday afternoon — part of a final push to gather precious Northern Virginia votes on the eve of a hotly contested election. Thousands lined up outside the Patriot Center at George Mason University to show their support for the Republican presidential hopeful, who pitched a message central to his campaign: that the economy is broken and he is the one who can fix it. While both campaigns have showered enormous amounts of money and resources to persuade undecided Virginia voters over the past few months, Monday's rally was in large part a bid to retain enthusiasm among local supporters and ensure their appearance at the polls Tuesday. "Now let's make …
One of the Republican nominee's final campaign appearances was at George Mason University's Patriot Center.
Virginia saw President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney both in the past few days as they wrap up campaigns by visiting swing states across the country. Patch will have a full recap of Mitt Romney's visit later this evening. See coverage of Barack Obama's visit to Bristow, Va. Saturday night here.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Voters will decide on changes to eminent domain law and the General Assembly's veto session scheduling on November's ballot.
In two weeks, Virginians will go to the polls and vote for the man they want to see in the Oval Office. But they’ll also be asked to vote on two amendments to the Virginia Constitution. Question 1: Eminent Domain Law Changes The first amendment, known as Question 1, would prohibit local governments from using eminent domain for economic development and job creation. Instead, the seizure of private land would be strictly for public use, such as parks and school buildings. The amendment also requires full compensation of the owner. State Del. Rob Bell, R-Charlottesville, sponsored the amendment during this year's General Assembly session, attempting to change a 2007 law stating that private property can be taken only when public interest …
Monday, October 22, 2012
New poll out Friday puts Virginia votes in 'toss-up' status with Romney ahead of Obama 50 percent to 47 percent in Virginia.
The fight for Virginia votes is getting more intense. With Election Day two weeks from Tuesday, Virginia is becoming one of the ground-zero states in the presidential election and the candidates are pulling out all the stops in trying to win the state come Nov. 6. "I consider it one of the three crucial states," said Stuart Rothenberg, editor and publisher of the Rothenberg Political Report, a Washington-based newsletter, counting the others as Ohio and Colorado, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Sunday. "You've got to win two out of those three." According to two polls released last week, Virginia's status in the presidential election has moved from leaning toward President Obama to being a "toss-up" state. Republican presidential …
FairfaxMango
12:46 pm on Tuesday, November 6, 2012
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