As Election Day approaches tomorrow (Tuesday), Arlington County Board candidates have been shoring up plans to meet voters at the polls before watching the results come in.
While the Arlington County Democratic Committee has been tying up a few loose ends over the past week, it expects to have all 54 precincts covered throughout the day on Tuesday.
In a letter to the party’s rank-and-file, county Democratic leaders said they planned to press the public in “voting Democratic all the way down the ballot — for candidates who believe in good governance, protecting healthcare, and building a future rooted in fairness and dignity for everyone.”
“We get to send a message loud and clear that Virginia rejects cruelty and chaos — and chooses hope, decency, and leadership that actually delivers for the people Republican leadership has left behind,” party leaders wrote.
One of the big questions of Election Night will be whether Democratic nominee Takis Karantonis will be able to surmount 50% of the vote in his quest for County Board re-election.
Facing four challengers, it is almost a given that Karantonis, first elected in 2020, will end up with an absolute majority. If he falls short, the ranked-choice process will be cranked up, eliminating candidates until one emerges with at least 50% 0f all votes cast.
Bob Cambridge, the Republican nominee for County Board, said last month Karantonis could be in trouble if he fails to surmount 50% on the first ballot.
Cambridge was one of the challengers to Karantonis in a 2020 special election. He believes that if a voter does not pick Karantonis in the first round, that voter is unlikely to give Karantonis second- or third-choice support in the ranked-choice process.
That could mean one of the Democrat’s challengers could leapfrog him to snatch the seat — which, if it transpires, would provide one of the biggest local upsets in recent years.
Last year, Democratic County Board nominee Julius “JD” Spain, Sr., received 58% of the vote in a four-candidate field. Spain’s fortunes were boosted by the large, Democrat-heavy turnout of a presidential year.
Democrats will hold their election night watch party beginning at 7 p.m. at Fire Works Pizza in Clarendon. The next evening, the party’s monthly meeting will provide the opportunity for a full dissection of the election results and their impact.
Though outgunned by Democrats in sheer people-power, the county’s GOP leadership has worked to put together a more robust precinct-operations effort than the party has seen in recent years.
“Arlington Republicans have pulled out all the stops to ensure voters know they have a choice in this election,” party chair Matthew Hurtt said in a note to his party’s rank-and-file.
The party is planning to hold its election night watch party beginning at 7 p.m. at Mister Day’s in Clarendon. Although the results of County Board and House of Delegates races are likely to go against them, county Republicans will be watching intently to see how statewide races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general pan out.
Jeramy Olmack is one of two first-time candidates on the County Board ballot. He told ARLnow he planned to “split the day” into visiting six polling places between the start of balloting at 6 a.m. and its conclusion at 7 p.m.
Olmack’s efforts will be focused in Crystal City, Pentagon City, Shirlington and Green Valley. Last week, the independent candidate said he was “actively seeking” volunteers to help spread his message to voters at the polls.
Olmack will join fellow first-time candidate Carlos De Castro “DC” Pretelt and supporters for a joint election night watch party at Nighthawk Brewery in Pentagon City.
Though running as an independent, Pretelt has received the endorsement of the Forward Party, marking the party’s second foray into Arlington politics.
The Forward Party, which has endorsed Pretelt and School Board member James “Vell” Rives IV, will hold its watch party beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Ireland’s Four Courts in Courthouse.
Audrey Clement, who has run for local office for more than a decade as a protest candidate, last week made a pitch for supporters to help her at precincts.
Without their help, she said, voters might not know there are independent candidates on the ballot.
“I need supporters like you to discourage straight-ticket voting by handing out sample ballots with concrete information about my campaign,” Clement said.
“In a liberal jurisdiction like Arlington County, it’s tempting to vote the blue ballot handed out at the polls,” she added. “Yet there are serious problems with candidates at both the top and bottom of the Democratic ticket.”
Uniquely among political parties or other independents, Clement is recommending how voters use their second and third choices for County Board in the ranked-choice process. She has endorsed Cambridge as her second choice and Pretelt as her third.
Arlington’s current voting equipment limits ranked-choice voting to three candidates per election. New equipment is expected to offer the ability to rank more candidates by next June’s state and local primaries.
