(Updated at 9:10 a.m.) The polls are open until 7:00 tonight in Arlington. That should give residents plenty of time to cast their votes in the four primary races on the ballot. As a recap, here’s a list of who is running, along with links to their candidate essays.
If you’re a registered voter, when are you planning on voting, if at all?
Election Day in Virginia — Voters are going to the polls in Virginia today to vote in a rare mid-August primary. In addition to the date, which was pushed back thanks to this year’s redistricting process, this year’s election is unique because it features “more Latino candidates on the ballot than ever before in General Assembly races… running for both Democratic and Republican nominations.” Arlington’s 51 polling places will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. today. [NBC Washington, Arlington County]
O’Leary Predicts High Turnout — Arlington County Treasurer and amateur election prognosticator Frank O’Leary believes that about 11,850 votes will be cast today, seven times the turnout of the 2007 primary. O’Leary based his projection on the number of absentee votes cast this year, which is higher than usual. [Sun Gazette]
Here is the unedited response from Jaime Areizaga-Soto:
I am Jaime Areizaga Soto and I’m running to represent the 31st district in the Virginia Senate. I graduated from Georgetown and got a masters and law degree from Stanford. I’ve served our country as an Army officer for over twenty years and am currently a JAG Lieutenant Colonel in the National Guard. I am an attorney with over 12 years of infrastructure experience, a former White House Fellow, a member of the Arlington County Transportation Commission, and a lifelong Democrat. Over the past two General Assembly sessions in Richmond, I served as Policy Advisor to Senator Whipple supporting and advising her on legislation and caucus-related matters. The Obama Administration appointed me to the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. Agency for International Development – I stepped down from that position in order to be a candidate to represent you in Richmond.
Here is the unedited response from Barbara Favola:
I am running for the State Senate because I want to create a Virginia that is more progressive, more compassionate and more inclusive and I offer the skills and experience necessary make this vision a reality. I ask for your vote on Tuesday, August 23rd.
Yes — Alex and his partner Jennifer do all of those things, and do them well. But he’s also a wizard when it comes to Linux servers, open source server software, and the IT needs of small businesses, and that’s why we’d like to thank him today. Alex has been helping us with our technical/server issues since shortly after we launched, and now he’s spending hours of his scarce free time helping us transition to a newer, faster and more reliable server.
Without Alex’s help, we would have been hard-pressed to keep the site up and running as it grew. Plus, Alex has been our go-to guy for random technical questions and information security-related services.
Here is the unedited response from David Deane:
My name is David Deane and I am seeking the Democratic nomination for Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church. As Commonwealth’s Attorney I will make the office more accountable and accessible to the citizens of this community. While the office has been well run under the current leadership, I believe that we should always be striving for better. I am committed to starting a Drug Court Program, working in collaboration with Arlington’s judges and community services agencies to treat and intensively supervise non-violent addicts rather than abandon them in jail. I am committed to hiring Spanish speaking prosecutors and educating the Hispanic community so that all citizens, regardless of their ethnicity, heritage, or immigration status feel safe. I am staunchly opposed to the death penalty. I believe that the citizens of this community understand that this draconian means of punishment is expensive, ineffective, and inhumane. As both a former prosecutor and a practicing defense attorney I have the breadth of experience to achieve these goals and to improve the level of service provided to the members of our community. I would be honored to have your vote on August 23rd, 2011.
Here is the unedited response from Theo Stamos:
My name is Theo Stamos and I am running for Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church. For the past 25 years I have been on the front lines of the criminal justice system, beginning as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in 1987 and serving as Chief Deputy since 2002. I have prosecuted and supervised the prosecution of thousands of cases, always guided by the truth that the role of a prosecutor is to seek justice for victims and fairness for all.
The meeting will take place between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 24, at George Mason University Founder’s Hall (3351 Fairfax Drive) in Virginia Square. The Homeland Security Advisory Council’s Task Force on Secure Communities is seeking public comments about the controversial program, which Arlington tried and failed to opt out of last year.
From a press release issued by Arlington County this morning:
Update at 12:15 p.m. — The scene has been cleared and employees are being allowed back into the office.
Earlier: Arlington County’s bomb squad is investigating some sort of bomb threat inside an office building in Courthouse.
D.C. resident Peter Cifala, 57, was arrested on Friday and charged with one count of bank robbery.
“Though the suspect is charged with one robbery at this time, the robbery is believed to be related to a series of five other bank robberies that occurred over the past three months in Arlington County,” police said in a statement.
The “Paws-to-Read” program, run in partnership with the animal therapy group PAL (People Animals Love), started at Central Library and expanded to the Columbia Pike Library this month. Next month, it will expand to Shirlington.
Paws-to-Read gives children a non-judgmental companion that sits around attentively as they practice their reading skills. A study has shown that the extra reading practice and boost in confidence that dog reading companions provide actually boosts kids’ reading fluency.
9/11 Ride Arrives, Departs Without Incident — No major incidents were reported on Friday or Saturday as a convoy of 1,800 motorcyclists arrived in Pentagon City, then departed for New York City. [Washington Post]
Two Struck By Lightning in Lyon Village — A couple is reported to be in serious condition after being struck by lightning on the 1500 block of N. Highland Street, in Lyon Village, on Friday. The force of the lightning strike was so strong that it “shattered the lenses in one of their glasses and knocked their shoes off.” [WUSA9, MyFoxDC]
