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Elections

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Poll: Does the Virginia GOP Convention Represent True Democracy?

The Republican Party in Virginia decided to have a primary in 2013, but later changed its mind.

Virginia’s Republican Party annual convention is set for May 17 and 18, and delegates from around the state will select nominees for Lt. Governor and Attorney General. GOP officials have gone back and forth in recent years on whether to host a convention or conduct an open primary. In 2011, GOP officials had decided to hold a primary in 2013, but a group of newly elected members of the Commonwealth's GOP central committee changed course in 2012 and switched to a closed convention. The switch to a convention saves local governments and the state money — primaries are paid for with state and local dollars, but convention costs come directly from the Virginia GOP’s funds. It was the announcement of plans for a 2013 convention that drove Lt. …

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amajorpain

6:25 pm on Saturday, May 18, 2013

... To the guy with the follow-up comment? Nailed it. Ding ding ding. You are correct sir. Somebody has to push back on these fools or else our illustrious, potentatic (look it up) gummet (use your imagination) will grow and grow and grow until we can't hold the fat slobs up any longer and we will all get crushed underneath the weight of jabba the gummet. (obtw, it would be nice if we could have …   more ›

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Fairfax County Seeks Election Officers for June, November

The Virginia primary is June 11; the general election is Nov. 5.

Are you a registered voter in Virginia and available to work at least half of Election Day? Fairfax County has a job for you. The county’s Office of Elections is recruiting election officers for the June 11 primary election and/or for the Nov. 5 general election. Qualified residents with bilingual language and technology skills are especially needed. "We encourage all qualified residents to become elections officers, especially those with technology skills, diverse language abilities, young adults seeking civic experience and networking opportunities, and recently retired professionals interested in public service," said General Registrar Cameron Quinn in a prepared statement. Election officers are paid $100 for working all of Election …

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Virginia Lt. Gov. Race: Chopra Narrowly Outraises Northam in First Quarter

Both Democratic candidates raised just over $449,000, but Aneesh Chopra has more cash on hand.

Aneesh Chopra, one of two Democratic hopefuls for Lt. Governor of Virginia, is ahead of Ralph Northam in the race for campaign funds. Chopra began the year with a starting balance of $714,864 and then raised another $449,915 through March 31, according to finance reports on the Virginia Public Access Project. Northam began the year with a zero balance and raised $449,542 through March 31 — just below what Chopra raised. The two hopefuls are the only Democratic candidates gunning for Virginia's open Lt. Governor position, which will be vacated by Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R) next year. A single Democratic candidate will be selected in a primary June 11. There are a also a number of candidates vying for the Republican nomination, which will be …

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Sen. Dick Saslaw: Virginia 'Screwed' if Cuccinelli Elected Governor

The Virginia Senate Democratic leader spoke to the Springfield Civic Association on Tuesday night.

Virginia will be "screwed" if Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is elected governor this fall, said state Senate Democratic Leader Dick Saslaw (D-35th) after a community meeting in Springfield on Tuesday night.   "I like Ken personally, but he doesn't believe in science," said Saslaw to the Springfield Civic Association. "He just doesn't." Saslaw referred to when Cuccinelli, in 2010, requested the emails and files of a former professor at the University of Virginia, who received state grants to study global warming.   "For Ken there's no climate change," said Saslaw who represents the City of Falls Church. "We're looking at being screwed. How are you going to recruit top-notch talent? What Nobel Prize winner would come to this …

Chuck Stein

9:32 am on Thursday, April 18, 2013

The issue there is not to disprove the research, it is to see whether there are emails and other communications indicating that the researchers falsified their data and findings, given that the leaked emails facially indicate that may have happened. That requires basic investigative forensics, not an advanced degree in climate science.   more ›

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Virginia GOP Voter ID Law: Voter Suppression?

Republicans say a requirement for picture ID protects "sanctity" of the vote; Democrats argue the GOP is keeping certain voters away from the polls on purpose.

Virginia voters will need a photo ID when they're heading to the polls beginning in 2014 under new requirements signed into law by Gov. Bob McDonnell this week. Supporters argue that a voter registration card with no picture creates an opening for fraudulent voting. McDonnell spokesman Jeff Caldwell said in a statement to The Washington Post that the new law is about protecting "the sanctity of our democratic process.”  Democratic leaders have challenged voter ID laws as a type of voter suppression. They note those without a photo ID are likely found among Democratic voters, particularly seniors and college students. The new law will need approval by the U.S. Justice Department, a requirement for any voting changes in most Southern states …

Larry Gross

5:29 pm on Sunday, May 5, 2013

you have to qualify to register but once you do provide the required information why not receive a photo ID - just like you do when you get a drivers license? If we want to require photo-id, fine - provide one when you register to vote.... I don't have a problem with photo id when you register to vote but I do have a problem when they do register you and then later on - even though you are …   more ›

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Gubernatorial Candidate McAuliffe Delivers Signatures to Election Board

The latest Quinnipiac University poll shows residents are divided and still learning about Terry McAuliffe, Ken Cuccinelli.

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe hand-delivered 35,746 signatures Wednesday to the Virginia State Board of Elections in Richmond to help secure his place on the ballot in the governor's race.  McAuliffe may face Republican Virginia State Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli on the ballot come November. A new Quinnipiac University poll out Wednesday showed Cuccinelli is viewed as "having better experience, while voters see Terry McAuliffe as slightly less ideological, but neither is well-known to voters who are divided on who should be the next governor, with 40 percent for Republican Cuccinelli and 38 percent for Democrat McAuliffe," according to a news release about the new Quinnipiac University poll.  The most …

Bob Bruhns

2:33 pm on Monday, April 1, 2013

As far as I can tell, Mr. McAuliffe had to deliver these signatures because his party chose to operate their candidate selection process the way they did. Congratulations to him, because it must have been a lot of work. Now people should look at the policies advocated by the Gubernatorial candidates, and the track records that they have. I think it's pretty clear that Mr. Cuccinelli will win the …   more ›

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Virginia's Next Governor: Ken Cuccinelli, Terry McAuliffe or... ?

Does the commonwealth need another name on the ballot?

Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling took himself out of Virginia's race for governor last week, leaving, at least for now, what's shaping up to be a two-person race.  The choice for the Old Dominion's next governor, seven months before Election Day, seems to have boiled down to presumptive Republican nominee Ken Cuccinelli, the state's socially conservative attorney general, against likely Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and a McLean businessman. The Republican Party of Virginia will hold its convention on May 17 and 18 in Richmond to formally select its nominee. Democrats go to the polls on June 11 to cast their ballots in several races, including governor and lieutenant governor. …

Vasquez2

2:59 am on Monday, May 20, 2013

Wow, KEL, any credibility you might've had just went down the toilet with that post.   more ›

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Bolling Not Running for Governor of Virginia

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling appeared to be considering a run as an independent.

Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R) announced Tuesday through an email to supporters that he has decided not to run for governor. Speculation had grown recently that Bolling might run as an independent in the race. That would have made it a three-way race between Bolling, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and former DNC chair Terry McAuliffe. Bolling decided not to go head to head with Cuccinelli after the Virginia Republican party decided it would choose its nominee in a state party convention rather than a primary. Cuccinelli, a social conservative, is popular among Virginia's conservative activists who are likely to attend the convention, the New York Times pointed out last fall when Bolling initially bowed out of the race. …

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Poll: McAuliffe, Cuccinelli Tied in Virginia Governor's Race

When Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling is throw into the poll as an independent, poll numbers barely move.

If Virginia’s Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling throws his hat into the Virginia governor’s race, the race could tilt very slightly toward Democrat candidate Terry McAuliffe, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll. McAuliffe and Republican State Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli are statistically tied in a February Quinnipiac University poll of Virginia registered voters about the two way governor’s race—each candidate has 38 percent. Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,112 registered Virginia voters; the survey has a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percent. When Bolling is thrown into the mix, McAuliffe gets 34 percent of the votes and Cuccinelli gets 31 percent—almost within the margin of error—and Bolling gets 13 percent. Bolling said he would make a …

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Meet Pete Snyder: One of Seven Republicans Running for Lt. Governor in Virginia

Snyder spoke to the Greenspring Retirement Republican Club on Tuesday

Tech entrepreneur Pete Snyder is running for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, and for more than a half-hour Tuesday morning, he talked the talk with Republicans at the Greenspring Retirement Community in Springfield.  "I want to rein in the size and scope of government," said Snyder. "You hear politicians talk about this all the time as budgets continue to rise. And when you look over the past 20 years, budgets in Richmond have grown by over 400 percent. The population of Virginia has only grown by 40 (percent). Something is out of whack. So, I want to make it a goal to rein government in by 10 percent. That's not that audacious, but the career politicians and others will tell you it can't be done. And that's the problem." Snyder, 40, a …

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