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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsErrors caused 26 Virginians to vote in wrong district during razor-thin 2017 race
Results for the state House district race between Republican David Yancey and Democrat Shelly Simonds ping-ponged following the election. Yancey won by 10 votes on Election Day. Then, Simonds won a recount by one vote. Finally, a three-judge panel declared the race was a tie and officials drew a name out of a bowl to determine a winner, which Yancey won.
According to the Post's analysis of voter records, some 26 voters who resided "in a predominantly African-American precinct that heavily favored Democrats in the fall" cast their ballots in the wrong district -- nearby HD-93. The voters lived in "seven apartment buildings built in 2016 in a fast-growing area outside the gates of Joint Base Eustis, an Army installation" and a majority had "voted since 2008 exclusively in one or more Democratic primaries," according to the Post.
A map of the district boundaries shows the buildings within the 94th District being contested by Yancey and Simonds. But the local registrar "mistakenly" placed them in the 93rd District, the registrar told the Post.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/14/politics/newport-news-virginia-voters-wrong-district/index.html
drray23
(7,587 posts)I wonder why..
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Or if need be, just seat both candidates...
Democracy shouldn't be decided by coin flips!
bigbrother05
(5,995 posts)Think the Dem candidate tried to raise this question , but the 3 judge panel drew lots.
Wonder which one got the robe?
OneBro
(1,159 posts)PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)OneBro
(1,159 posts)"Virginias lists of voters and street blocks are housed in a statewide database. When problems regarding misassigned voters surfaced in three districts in the Fredericksburg area last year, the state Department of Elections did not look to see if there were mistakes elsewhere. Edgardo Cortés, the state elections commissioner at the time, said his department was not responsible for making sure voters were assigned to the right districts."
. . .
"The mix-up in Newport News was a frustration to Ashley McCoy, one of the 94th District voters who was incorrectly assigned to the 93rd. She voted a straight Democratic ticket that included Mullin in the House race instead of Simonds."
PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)ballot" thing comes from.
OneBro
(1,159 posts)The 26 ballots were counted in the 93rd district where they didn't make a difference, instead of being counted in the 94th district where they would have made a difference. I think that's the case.
OneBro
(1,159 posts)That is, if the roles were reversed.
PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)OneBro
(1,159 posts)underpants
(182,279 posts)I could find the info on it but basically the voter clearly double voted.