Turnout relatively low, though not unexpected. About 68 had voted in my precinct by 12:30 or so. We've got a tough race between three R's and one D for three Council spots, so the local party is pushing our guy and only our guy (well, and the Mayor, a soft D who has done a fantastic job).  

I often see limousines driving people around for weddings, but today Rock the Vote supplied stretch town cars for students at William & Mary headed to the polls.  I for one enjoy both walking and voting, so I went by foot, but given the temperature today and novelty of the moment, took the limo back to campus.

The polling place was... normal for an election like this, maybe a bit higher turnout than normal, but not much.  I was voter 251 in the first third of the alphabet.  The big news is that a student is running for city council.  He certainly had big support on campus, but students are only 1/3 of the electorate.  Let's see if he wins.

Interesting personal story:

My roommate was in line right in front of me, same part of the alphabet, same election officials.  He was wearing his official Obama t-shirt.  They didn't seem to mind.

I went in my lovely, unofficial "Mark Warner is Good" t-shirt, and the election official who had just let "Obama" vote made it clear that I needed to get a new shirt or cover it somehow because I can't politically advertise in a polling location.  Okay... I went outside, borrowed a coat, went in and voted.  Neither candidate was on the ballot but I didn't argue, didn't want to put up a fight.

As a friend pointed out afterwards, it's not like the shirt was even an explicit endorsement of Governor Warner.  I could have a "Jim Gilmore is Better" shirt for all they know.

Ew.  Don't even joke about that.

I've worked polls four times now, and what that election official did is really really wrong.

If you are going in to vote, you can wear whatever buttons and shirts supporting a candidate you want. If you're NOT going in to vote, you are NOT allowed to campaign or solicit voters within about 50 feet of the front door. But if you're in line to vote yourself the 1st Amendment lets you wear and say what you please.

You should report that election official to your local Democratic party and the Warner campaign.

I could have sworn that if a candidate is on the ballot, you can't advertise for them within the polling place.  Ex.: on 12 Feb my friends and I all went in Obama gear and we had to cover it up.

That obviously makes more sense than today's case, when Governor Warner was nowhere near being on the ballot.

I don't remember the election official's name, though I kindof wish I do now.  There was an elderly lady in front of me in line and the worker was giving her a hard time too.  Of course, the worker letting the Obama t-shirt by but not the Warner one is of concern, and I wouldn't want an anti-Warner election official working this November.  What kind of a weirdo Virginian supports Obama and not Warner anyways...

in Arlington, you can't wear political buttons, t-shirts, etc. for one of the candidates on the ballot into the polling place.

As a campaign worker, yeah, you can't wear the stuff.

BUT, and this is what I was told here in Loudoun, and could be wrong, when you, yourself, go in to vote, you can wear what you please.

Anyone working as an electoin official on RK know?

I was voter number 454 at our polling location. I anticipate voter turnout percentage of 28%.

In the race for Mayor I'm predicting Debbie Girvan will end the day with 44% of the vote and the incumbent Tom Tomzak to win with 56%.

In our at-large council race for two slots I'm hopeful Devine and Greenlaw emerge victorious over a freshly minted radical right winger (think of a young Shaun Kenney) B-J Huff    

Girvan and Huff got trounced.

Good news for the Fredericksburg Region