The Arlington County Republican Committee is trying to reinvigorate its precinct operations in the lead-up to November’s general election.
“Arlington Republicans are rebuilding our precinct operations from the ground up, recruiting members and volunteers to take responsibility over organizing neighborhoods, connecting with voters and communicating our Republican principles to thousands of Arlingtonians,” said Frederick Tarantino, who has been tapped by the Arlington Republican leadership to lead the effort.
Though Republicans are outnumbered by Democrats in Arlington by a significant margin, election results in recent years have given them some signs of hope.
“We are seeing coaches, teachers, veterans and small-business owners step into precinct-level leadership roles,” Tarantino told ARLnow. “These are trusted community leaders in their own right who believe every voter deserves an alternative in Arlington.”
Outreach efforts will include identifying prospective Republican voters and reaching out to them through various means, party chair Matthew Hurtt said.
“I am very excited about the increased enthusiasm for Arlington Republican efforts in Arlington, and I am grateful community leaders like Frederick and others have taken the initiative to expand our efforts to take our Republican message to voters,” Hurtt told ARLnow.
The party aims to increase its presence at community events and to emphasize reaching people casting ballots ahead of Election Day itself.
“Arlington Republicans haven’t had a robust precinct-level operation in a generation, and I’m honored to lead the charge to rebuild this effort to make us more competitive in this and future elections,” Tarantino said.
Republicans have their work set out for them. Over the decades, the Arlington County Democratic Committee has built and maintained one of the most formidable get-out-the-vote efforts in Virginia and perhaps the nation.
In addition to pre-election efforts, Democrats have enough volunteers to have two or three captains in each of Arlington’s 54 precincts. Their role is to recruit and supervise others who will connect with voters in that precinct, then be on hand on Election Day.
Democratic recruiting efforts are year-long. The party will have personnel stationed at all polling places during morning and evening rushes at the June 17 primary.
A similar effort last year brought in about 500 prospective new volunteers, party leaders said.
By the time fall arrives, most of the available slots are filled, but at present, “we have a lot of openings,” said Rachel Halpern, who updated Democrats at the party’s monthly meeting on June 4.
Tarantino said he hasn’t met Sarah Lanford, who several years ago succeeded the legendary Carol Fontein in heading up Democratic precinct operations. But he anticipates he will.
“I am sure our paths will cross as our respective committees organize and make the case to voters,” he said. “I think it makes sense in the future for Arlington parties to have courtesy meetings and be approachable if the other party needs to discuss something.”
In addition to statewide races, Arlington voters will select one County Board member, one School Board member and three House of Delegates members in November.
Democrats have their nominees except for County Board, where incumbent Takis Karantonis is being challenged by James DeVita in the June 17 primary, and the 1st District House of Delegates, where incumbent Patrick Hope facing challenges from Arjoon Srikanth and Sean Epstein.
Once the statewide and local tickets are determined, Arlington Democrats will begin updating marketing materials and ramp up voter-education efforts, said Bob Platt, a veteran party activist who is assisting in the effort.
Republicans have not fielded candidates for School Board in recent years, but they are hoping to announce a candidate slate for other offices before the filing deadline later in the month.
