Big turnout in Northern Virginia

[RandySF]

Virginia voters went to the polls Tuesday morning to decide whether to send Democrat Terry McAuliffe or Republican Ken Cuccinelli II to the Executive Mansion and make their picks for other statewide and local offices as well.

Despite a slight glitch with laptop computers in a few precincts in Loudoun County, election officials said the polling process was going smoothly. Several precincts reported a robust early turnout.

At Thomas Jefferson Community Center in Arlington, precinct captain Charles Head said 400 out of 3,000 registered voters — 13 percent — had voted by 8:45 a.m., “extremely heavy for a non-presidential election.”

At the River Oaks precinct in Woodbridge, where massive lines and delays tarnished the 2012 presidential vote, citizens moved through in a steady, efficient stream.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/polls-open-across-virginia-in-hotly-contested-governors-race/2013/11/04/06c6205c-45d2-11e3-bf0c-cebf37c6f484_story.html

[cali]

1. excellent. Crush the Cooch!

[lostincalifornia]

2. That is good. Turnout means everything. Also, there is no doubt in my mind from now until 2016

what will determine elections in borderline states will be women

[Laelth]

3. Cool, but NJ is the race I am watching.

If Christie wins by a significantly lower % than has been predicted by recent polls, it will bode very well for liberals and Democrats going into the 2014 mid-terms.

-Laelth

[kydo]

4. good! cause toady and young luke are trying to tell us turnout is low

No really about 10 minutes ago, the young luke skywalker russert, was at a polling center in VA saying officials say so far it is a low turnout.

Glad to see in the rest of the state turnout is high.

Now if we could just have a sit down chat with jersey voters. Remind them that bullies don't always make good leaders. You do know Christie does have a better career in late night comedy host if he ever wanted it. No really he is funny. But as a governor he is just a big bully.

[Nay]

7. Low turnout?? That liar. It's very high in Chesterfield County, near Richmond, which

is unusual for an off-year election. Now, theoretically that could be teabaggers really are turning out, or it could be a bunch of Dems and independents coming out to defeat the very scary candidates.

To repeat: I was voter #232 at 7:50 this morning. In past years I usually voted around 6:50 and was often voter #7 or 8. So that's quite a difference.

[leftynyc]

9. Is that a very blue area?

I'm sorry I'm so woefully ignorant of VA geography and connected politics.

[Nay]

11. No, Chesterfield County is pretty red. Richmond proper is bluer because so

many black people live in Richmond city. However, if lots of newly-registered Dems are voting in Chesterfield today, it will show in the polls. And I know at least a couple of Republicans who are so disgusted with Cooch/Jackson/Obenshain that they are either voting Dem/libertarian or not voting at all. We'll see. I do still expect my poll district to go red, but what can you do?

[leftynyc]

14. Thanks for the info

Any other news you can share would be appreciated. The NY mayor's race and NJ governor's race are only interesting in terms of how big the winner's margin is going to be. I'm very worried about turnout - Democrats are very bad at off year elections and the VA race has the entire country watching it.

[Nay]

16. Oh, there was one more difference at my polling place -- there was a Dem

table in addition to the Pub table that is always there. There were 4 Pubs manning their table and one Dem manning the Dem table. In past off-year elections, the Dems never even bothered to have a table at all. I don't know what that means, exactly, if anything.

[nyquil_man]

48. Chesterfield should be pretty close today.

The Republican candidates in the top three races (Gov, LG, and AG) should carry it, but not by the kind of massive margin McDonnell had.

[kydo]

12. I think they found the deepest dark red small area in VA

Which is probably what they did. But low turnout in a bagger area really isn't good for the cooch. That's his base.

What I took away from young skywalker russert's segment was that the cooch is going to lose big time. I'm sure the point they were trying to make is low turnout is bad for Terry. That would be true if it was a low turnout from the entire state. But I think bagger cheering media types are going to be in for a rude awaking. The low turnout will probably occur mostly in red areas. They don't like the cooch either.

[Nay]

15. I really don't have any sense about who is turning out and who isn't, at least at my

polling place. It worries me a little that I did not see any black people voting at the same time I was voting. Our neighborhood is a good mixture of all the races, so it made me wonder whether black and Hispanic Democrats were giving this election a pass. I hope not.

I do think low turnout would hurt McAuliffe, because it would mean that just the regular teabaggers who always vote are the ones showing up. However, just from my anecdotal experience this morning, this is going to be a relatively high turnout election in VA. Whether that means Dems are turning out in droves or Reps are, I don't know.

[underpants]

21. I forgot to see what # I was

My west end district never has a wait. About 2/3 repub usually

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

58. Voted around 1 pm (Southside RIC).

No one was in front of me, but was told there was a steady stream of people voting today.

[kydo]

41. Ha he is in Mclean a very rich part

and it looks empty

The cooch is going to lose despite young luke skywalker russert and the right leaning talking head's attempt to shape this election their way.

Don't think it's working.

Dems might sweep this election in VA.

[onenote]

42. Before you pigeon hole McLean too much

Its where Terry McAuliffe lives and votes.

[kydo]

43. he said in the segment

it is was a rich repub leaning area of mclean ... I'm sure there are dems there too those might be the people that were voting.

[onenote]

20. Turnout at my voting place in NoVa is relatively low

Of course it depends on what you're comparing it against.
The last couple of presidential election years, turnout has been above 65%.
In previous gubenatorial election years, turnout has been below 40%

I voted early, and a number of people I know did as well, so basing turnout on how many people are in line or have voted at a particular polling place is probably not the best measure.

My brother, who didn't vote early, went and voted at around 9:30 and was pretty lonely.

[godai]

27. Same here, at 11:30.

NOVA...Haymarket.

[Awknid]

52. Pretty few of us voting

In southern part of Alexandria at noon.

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. The turnout reported by registrars is well behind field

At this point. They start to match later in the day. So if you want to create the image of low turnout you go to the registrar.

It's a well known trick. And it has to make you wonder. Though in CA you can't do either really to protect privacy and people doing post polls at times have encounters with law enforcement due to the 100 foot rule.

[onenote]

55. There is conflicting information from the field

Some reports, such as the one in the Washington Post, indicated that turnout was heavier than usual. Other reports, such as the one I got from a friend who was working at the polls this morning, suggested that there were times when the number of poll workers outnumbered the number of voters.

At this point, if I had to guess (and it would just be a guess) turnout will end up within the range of other recent Virginia gubernatorial elections: above 35 % and below 40%.

[sheshe2]

5. K&R! nt

[Jester Messiah]

6. Did my part.

Glad to see paper ballots. Got to shake hands with Ms. Boysko as well, so that was neat.

[emsimon33]

53. I hope she wins--I called for her twice from California

Many of those I reached said that they had received 4 and 5 calls. I apologized for bothering them but noted I was volunteering to make GOTV calls because the election was so critical.

[Jester Messiah]

59. So do I.

And sorry if I hung up on you, but I really, really hate political calls. Or polls, or solicitations, basically any call from anyone I don't already know from real life. Best I can say is, I hang up on all equally.

[rudolph the red]

8. My sister sent me a text saying that voting machines were down in Leesburg.

She was a little frustrated because she had to get to work. I asked her to keep me updated, but haven't heard anything back from her yet.

[gopiscrap]

10. welcome to DU

[Raine1967]

13. What precinct?

welcome to DU.

[rudolph the red]

17. Thanks for the welcome

I live in San Diego so I'm not familiar with what precinct she votes in, she lives in Aldie.

[Neurotica]

33. There were evidently some problems checking people in with computers

but there has been at least one functioning computer at every polling place according to news reports. Hope your sister was able to wait.

[nadinbrzezinski]

34. Welcome neighbor, remember to vote on the 19

If you live in the city.

[s-cubed]

18. I live in northern Virginia.

I'm on vacation, so I voted early. High turnout in n. Virginia definitely favors McAuliffe, low turnout in SW is bad for Cooch. DEMS are running well coordinated campaign, with lots of GOTV. We women will kick cooch's ass!

[emsimon33]

54. We need to also get rid of Obenshain

He is every bit as extreme as the Cooch!

[Mr Dixon]

19. Great Job

I voted at 6;20am and still got to work on time WIN WIN

[DemoTex]

22. Cue Le Grand Orchestre de Paul Mauriat!

Love is BLUE!

[SunSeeker]

23. Good. But I'm pissed at Jon Stewart for dampening votes last night.

He carried on about how they're both awful. But other than noting that McAuliffe stopped at a Dem function while his wife and newborn sat in the car, he could not explain why McAuliffe was as awful as the probe-raping, contraception banning, sex-criminalizing Cooch. Seriously Jon, WTF?

[Neurotica]

28. That really bothered me too.

It was a false equivalency.

[HipChick]

36. That pissed me off too..

[SunSeeker]

38. AND Oliver took a baseless shot at de Blasio for being vulnerable to lobbyists. Again, WTF?

Yes, they also made fun of Lhota and Cooch, but is there a false equivalence rule now at the Daily Show that they have to deride Dem and GOP candidates in the same amount? Reminds me of their "Rally to Restore Sanity" back in October of 2010, suggesting both sides are crazy. All it did was help Republicans that November.

The choice could not be clearer. The Dem candidate is invariably vastly superior to whatever the GOP is running. Suggesting otherwise is a ridiculous lie.

[ehrnst]

61. Yes, he didn't drag his baby out of sleep and hoist it ala Lion King like Palin did. (nt)

[SunSeeker]

62. Good point. nt

[Coyotl]

24. K&R

[onehandle]

25. No rain today. Good for Democrats. nt

[tsuki]

26. I hope this turns into a referendum about the TeaBaggers. nt

[Dawson Leery]

29. k/r

[Blue_Tires]

31. I'm in Virginia Beach...

the turnout at my polling place (9:45) was pretty low...

But happily I live in a very republican-heavy precinct!

[Neurotica]

32. Voted in a.m., now sitting in front of my computer, anxiously awaiting tonight's results

Husband and I voted in NoVa (Loudoun) around 10:30 this morning. College student voted absentee. Younger son wishes he could vote (he'll be good for the next presidential election).

Go Dems!

[Gin]

35. My voting place in Va Beach had a steady flow....I thought it would be a low turnout but the weather

Is good and folks are voting...i was 600 something at 10a.m.

This is a Red area......anxious to see the outcome.

[HipChick]

37. Fairfax County - Quite a longish line...

[Robbins]

39. This and early voting numbers

bode well for Mcauliffe.

Remember Dems could have sweep of governor,LT Governor,and AG In virignia.That's a story almost nobody Is talking about.

Tradation In Virginia Is ending today that party In white house loses the governor's race.

Like Joe biden would say that's a big f-ing deal.

[marions ghost]

40. Keeping the vigil for Virginia

McAuliffe is DLC but far better than a bagger.

[countingbluecars]

44. Voted in a rural, very republican

part of Loudoun County and then handed out sample Democratic ballots for a couple of hours. I was pleasantly surprised at the interest in the ballots and the number of thumbs up from cars driving through.

[phylny]

60. Ha! I know where you live :)

We used to live in Loudoun, right outside that rural, very republican part

I voted in the very rural, very republican part of Bedford County (it's all red, with itsy bitsy blue here and there) and this was my experience:

Voting today, four clueless senior citizens (not making fun, but honestly, it was funny and I'm 55 years old) who couldn't figure out the glitch in computerized voter verification machine - and they were the polling officials. Finally got it to work. Then two women standing in line had the following conversation:

1: "Are you voting Democrat?"
2: "Bite your tongue!"
Me: "Careful how you say that, there could be Democrats just feet away from you."
1 & 2: Giggles.
2, quietly to 1: "They do have 'R' by the names, right? I don't even know who I'm voting for."
Me, thought bubble: (surprise, surprise)

[Cognitive_Resonance]

45. Respectable volume in my eastern Loudoun precinct this morning.

Purple area that leaned to Pres. Obama for last two presidential elections, but can go either way in the off-years. I am optimistic Herring (D) will carry the Attorney General race, and a substantial number of House seats will flip blue.

[11 Bravo]

46. If NOVA, Richmond Metro, and VA Beach/Newport News turn out, the Cooch is fucked!

(But NEVER blown. The Cooch is definitely not cool with that!

[Va Lefty]

51. ROFLMAO

[hue]

47. This is a very important bellwether election!! K&R!

[ohheckyeah]

49. I'm in a rural area of

western Virginia. I voted about 1:00 pm and turnout was just okay. That's good because this is a Republican area.

[lastlib]

50. I texted a friend in VA....

...that I hoped she was voting for the "Flake" and not the "Nuts"! for Governor!

[Beacool]

56. I'm about to go vote, but I'm in NJ.

Where unfortunately Christie is going to win in a landslide. Nothing I can do about that right now, but my mayor is up for reelection and I like her. There are also two important questions in the ballot. One is local and it has to do with rent control, the developers and landlords want to eliminate it. The other question is statewide and it's about raising the minimum wage. Therefore, I'm running to vote.

NJ and NY are in the bag for Christie and de Blasio, respectively. VA is the race that got me very nervous. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Good luck, VA!!!

[Rowdyboy]

57. Excellent news-the higher the turnout, the better we do!

Nice to see good news