A final look at the election as polls open this morning

To get county by county election results and full coverage of today’s contests, read Wednesday’s Bristol Herald Courier.

Changes to the General Assembly’s districts may cause confusion when Virginia voters head to the polls today, election officials said Monday.

Across the state, polls open at 6 a.m. and remain open for 13 hours so voters can cast ballots in a variety of state Senate and House races, some constitutional offices and other local races. It will be the first time elections have been held since state leaders revised Senate and House lines and some voters are baffled, according to local voter registrars.

“It’s already been a nightmare. I’m sure it will cause a lot of confusion [at the polls], Russell County General Registrar Linda Newberry said of redistricting. “They made more changes in Russell County than anywhere else I’m aware of.”

Newberry said her office responded to a “non-stop” series of phone calls and walk-in questions Monday and the overwhelming majority dealt with districts for General Assembly seats. After a number of proposed changes, Russell was carved into the 3^rd and 4^th House districts, with the Honaker precinct split between the two.

“People should make sure they’re aware who is on the ballot,” Bristol, Va., General Registrar Penny Limburg said Monday. “We’ve had some people who weren’t aware that we’d [Bristol] switched [House] districts. One person said we had the wrong people on the ballot. I think it could cause a little confusion.”

Washington County General Registrar Mary Ann Compton said her office has also received a number of questions.

“People want to know who are they voting for and who will their delegate be,” Compton said. “We did quite a bit of local redistricting, but we sent a letter notifying everyone about the changes and then the state followed that up with the voter registration card. So our voters have been notified twice.”

Southwest Virginia lost a House district in the reorganization and the new lines shook up the region. State Delegate Joe Johnson, who has represented Bristol and Washington County since 1990, lost the city but retains a portion of that county in the new 4^th District, which also includes part of Russell and all of Dickenson County. Johnson is running unopposed.

The city now lies in the redrawn 5^th House District, which also includes parts of Washington and Smyth counties and all of Grayson County. Political newcomer Israel O’Quinn, a Republican, is running for the seat against independent Michael Osborne.

Incumbent Delegate Will Morefield, R-Tazewell, is seeking a second term representing the 3^rd House District against Democrat Vern Presley of Grundy. That district includes all precincts in Buchanan, Tazewell and Bland counties, plus a portion of Russell County.

Elsewhere in the region, Delegates Terry Kilgore, R-Gate City, and Anne B. Crockett Stark, R-Wytheville, are unopposed in the 1^st and 6^th districts, respectively. The 2^nd District is now in Northern Virginia and Delegate Bud Phillips is retiring.

Another retirement -- that of state Sen. William Wampler Jr., R-Bristol -- opened up the 40^th Senate district seat he’s held since 1988. Voters will select from five-term state Delegate Bill Carrico, R-Fries, and Democratic challenger John Lamie of Abingdon.

The winner will represent Bristol, all of Lee, Scott, Washington and Grayson counties, plus precincts in Wise, Smyth and Wythe counties.

The region’s other Senate race occurs in the 38^th district, where incumbent Phillip Puckett, D-Lebanon, faces GOP challenger Adam Light of Tazewell County. The revised district extends from part of Wise County east to Radford and includes all of Dickenson, Buchanan, Russell, Tazewell, Bland and Pulaski counties, plus parts of Smyth and Wythe counties.

Across the region, county voters will select commonwealth’s attorneys and other constitutional officers, and choose members for boards of supervisors and school boards. In Bristol, a circuit court clerk will be selected.

Turnout is expected to vary widely across the region. Four years ago in Washington County, this election generated a 38 percent turnout. At the same time, about 17 percent of Bristol, Va., voters went to the polls. Registrars in both jurisdictions expect similar numbers.

“We had 33 percent turnout four years ago, but I think we may exceed that a little bit,” Newberry said of Russell County voters.

dmcgee@bristolnews.com
(276) 645-2532