Virginians will file into voting booths Tuesday to decide on an array of candidates and issues, from high-stakes legislative contests to local bond referendums.
County boards of supervisors will be decided, as will local school boards, city councils, sheriffs, clerks of the court and commonwealth’s attorneys.
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The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters must bring a government-issued identification card, such as a driver’s license, or sign an affidavit swearing they are legal voters.
Without a gubernatorial campaign at the top of the ballot, turnout Tuesday is not expected to be high. In 2003, the last time General Assembly races led the ballot, 30.8 percent of registered voters turned out. Several political analysts told The Examiner they expect turnout between 20 percent and 30 percent, despite record spending by General Assembly candidates.
Through Oct. 24, according to campaign finance records, candidates for the two legislative chambers spent $55 million. About $12 million of that was spent between Oct. 1 and Oct. 24, according to the reports.
“The turnout should be so much higher than it is,” said Sean O’Brien, director of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership. “It is embarrassingly low.”
Despite a litany of local races, the main events Tuesday are the General Assembly contests. Tuesday’s outcomes could dramatically shift power in Richmond, where Republicans have controlled the House and Senate since 1999.
Buoyed by an unpopular GOP president and recent wins in statewide elections, Democrats think they can pick up the four seats they need to garner a Senate majority and eat into the Republicans’ control of the House.
“I am confident we’ll pick up six seats in the House,” said Del. Brian Moran, D-Alexandria.
Republicans concede they may lose some seats but dismiss any chances of a Democratic takeover in the Senate. GOP officials believe Virginia is still a conservative state, which gives them advantages on hot issues such as illegal immigration.
“There are a lot of seats in play,” state party Chairman John Hager said, “but I feel very good about our chances.”
