As of this morning, the polls around the county for the Arlington County Board special election are reporting very light turnout.
“I don’t know if it’s the dreary weather, but it’s been quiet,” Arlington County General Registrar Linda Lindberg told ARLnow.com. “There’s no waiting at the polls in Arlington.”
Arlington polls open at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow and will remain open until 7:00 p.m. Voters who are unsure about where they can vote can go to the Virginia State Board of Elections polling place search function. Other questions about voting tomorrow can be answered on Arlington County’s election website.
Arlington Treasurer Frank O’Leary, who doubles as an election turnout prognosticator projects the total voter turnout to be between 30,000 and 33,000 after the latest absentee ballot count came in at 1,910.
Below is Republican- and Green-endorsed independent John Vihstadt’s unedited response:
I’m John Vihstadt, and I ask for your vote in the April 8 special election for County Board.
Below is Independent Green Party candidate Janet Murphy’s unedited response:
Dear ARLnow.com and Citizens of Arlington: I am Janet Murphy the Independent Green Party Candidate for Arlington County Board. I am running because we need more trains, and less traffic and that means Columbia Pike rail. Rail pays for itself. This weeks’ Columbia Pike Rail study shows it will bring $4.4 billion of economic growth. Rail saves lives. Rail creates jobs, increases the value of our homes, businesses, and community. Rail grows revenue for our schools, police, and fire departments, and affordable housing. Let Arlington be the most pedestrian, bike, and rail friendly community in the nation. We call for a new passenger rail tunnel under the Potomac to solve the problem of the “Orange Crush” on Metrorail, and expanding Metrorail service to South Arlington with a new underground Metrorail line
Below is Democrat Alan Howze’s unedited response:
Please Join Me and Move Arlington Forward!
Below is independent’s Stephen Holbrook’s unedited response:
Who is Steve Holbrook?
The two leading candidates for the vacant seat on the Arlington County Board are essentially even in fundraising with less than a week before the April 8 special election.
Democrat Alan Howze raised $84,984 in the first quarter of 2014, which ended March 28, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, which tracks campaign financing in the state. Republican- and Green-endorsed independent candidate John Vihstadt raised $84,154. However, if the candidates want to go on a spending spree in the final week, Vihstadt has $20,379 in cash on hand, compared to Howze’s $5,170.
Arlington’s unofficial election prognosticator, Treasurer Frank O’Leary, expects the special election to draw between 35,000 and 37,000 votes, dwarfing the previous record for a special election — 21,624 votes, set in 2003 — and rivaling the odd-year election records of 2011 and the constitutional amendment year of 1999.
“The natives are clearly restless,” O’Leary said in an email. “This fervor may reflect disgruntled voters responding to [John] Vihstadt’s energetic efforts to torpedo the aquatic center and derail the streetcar. Similarly, it may arise from the equally energetic efforts of the newly-minted ACDC Chairman — Kip Malinosky (who cannot afford to lose his maiden effort) and a determined Democratic candidate — Alan Howze — who has rapped his knuckles on thousands of voters’ doors.”
Peter’s Take is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.
This election is about Arlington’s core spending priorities not about core Democratic Party values.
The following is a guest column, submitted by Ed Fendley. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.
We didn’t get here by accident. Arlington voters in recent decades have chosen smart, progressive leaders. Our County Board has invested in our community, and those investments have paid off economically and with an improved quality of life.
The Right Note is a weekly opinion column published on Thursdays. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.
Last week I attended my neighborhood community forum, which featured the leading County Board candidates — Alan Howze and John Vihstadt. After the forum, I spoke to one of my neighbors who made a simple observation. He told me that the message was clear to those in attendance. If you want to continue with the status quo, you will vote for Alan. If you want to put someone who will change things up, you will vote for John.
