New Candidate Emerges in 99th

The Virginia blogosphere is atwitter with the news that a write-in candidate has emerged in the 99th House of Delegates district, challenging incumbent Delegate Albert Pollard (D) and tinfoil-hat conspiracy theorist Catherine Crabill, a nominal Republican who has been repudiated by the GOP's candidates at the top of the ticket and by the state GOP chairman.

As reported on Virginia Virtucon:

CAROLINE COUNTY, VA – Hamilton “Ham” Sandwich, Esq. today announced his campaign as a Republican write-in candidate for the 99^th House of Delegates District on the popular local blog “I’m Surrounded By Idiots” run by Timothy Watson. Ham previously ran for Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney in 2007 as a write-in candidate and received more than 700 votes countywide with votes coming from every precinct in the county according to Prince William County Registrar Betty Weimer.

Can a ham sandwich win a write-in campaign against two ballot-statused candidates? Stay tuned through November 4 to find out.

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Election Day 2008 Photoblog and Write-In Report

Perhaps the most surprising result from Charlottesville's precinct reports this year is that there were no write-in votes for Waldo Jaquith. Is the ur-blogger losing his touch with the hometown electorate?

This lacuna may be no accident. The overall write-in totals were small, indicating that voters took this election very seriously with regard to all three races on the ballot. There were 71 write-ins for President, including 26 for Ron Paul, 12 for Hillary Clinton, and one for certified write-in candidate Brian Moore. Others receiving write-in votes for President included Joe Schriner (3 votes), Michael Bloomberg, Henry Clay, Frank D. Roosevelt, Marcy Kaptur, Colin Powell, Mitt Romney, Bill Richardson, Leslie Dishannon, Kerry Dooley, John L'Etoile, R. D. Patrick Mahoney, Scott Elmer Moeller, John Paul, Joe Schneider, Optimus Prime, and McCain But Never Palin.

The candidates who had ballot status received these votes in Charlottesville (all unofficial totals): Barack Obama (15,537); John McCain (4,057); Chuck Baldwin (26); Bob Barr (86); Cynthia McKinney (17); and Ralph Nader (61).

In the U.S. Senate race, which was won by former Governor Mark Warner, someone cast a write-in vote for "MARKWARNER" (one word, all caps). Warner edged out his chief rival, former Governor Jim Gilmore, by 16,313 to 2,907. Glenda Gail Parker received 105 votes, and Libertarian Bill Redpath got 143.

Other write-ins in the Senate race in Charlottesville were John Galt (who is John Galt?), Congressman Ron Paul, Delegate Bob Marshall, Krishna Kishore, Barack Obama, Larry Joseph Sabato, David Bartok, Ryan Coughlin, Sahara Ghafari, Duncan Baker II, Al Lopez Jr., Diane Garrett Moeller, Matt Toner, Sean Shanks (3 votes), Prolife, Mary Smith, Greg Moritz, Michael Francis Moore, Geri Wilkins, and the initials "JP" and "W." There were 31 write-in votes in this race.

The race for Fifth District member of the U.S. House of Representatives currently stands at a dead heat, but Tom Periello beat incumbent Virgil Goode handily in Charlottesville: 15,754 votes for the Democrat to 3,715 votes for the Republican. (Again, all these totals remain unofficial until after the Electoral Board completes its canvass and the State Board of Elections certifies the vote.)

There were 39 write-in votes for this race in Charlottesville, with John Galt making a return appearance, as well as musicians Jerry Garcia, Andre Young AKA Dr. Dre, and Soulja Boy. Two-time congressional candidate Al Weed received two votes. Others receiving write-in votes were UVA President John Casteen, former UVA basketball coach Pete Gillen, and 2007 Libertarian state senate candidate Arin Sime.

Odd votes in this race included Amethyst Initiative, which refers either to a drag queen performing at Club 216 or the group of college presidents seeking a national debate about the drinking age, and the author of Das Kapital, Karl Marx, as well as perennial write-in candidate Mickey Mouse.

Additional names on the write-in list were Rear Admiral James J. Casey USN (ret), Antoinette Garza, John Devor, Brian Bristow, Tim Lewis, John Norton Moore, Oliver Kuttner, Brice McKeever, Geoffrey MacDonald, Erich Forrest Moeller, Elizabeth Boyd, Fred Schneider, and Eddie Smith.

Someone named William Wilder was written in for all three offices (president, senator, and congressman). Another voter took the time to write in "none of the above" in all three races. (The handwriting matched each time.) Several blank write-in votes were recorded, as well as variations like "none" and "none of them."

Although not all the figures have been analyzed, it appears that Charlottesville voters chose at a ratio of better than 3 to 1 to use the eSlate electronic voting device instead of the paper ballot fed through the eScan digital scanner. Even when lines for the eSlate were much longer and voting a paper ballot would have speeded the process for them, voters chose to cast their ballot on the DRE. I plan to write about this live Election Day experiment, which has been fascinating from the moment we decided to purchase the Hart Intercivic eScan equipment to supplement our eSlates, which we have used in Charlottesville in every election since May 2002.

I took quite a few photographs around Charlottesville during the course of the day. There were musicians at several precincts, who entertained voters as they stood in line waiting to reach the voting booth. Here are some scenes from Election Day 2008:

Recreation Precinct eSlate voting machines await voters minutes before the polls opened at 6:00 a.m.

Indicators of the choice of voting methods available to Charlottesville electors

The first wave of voters arrives at Jefferson Park Precinct at 6:00 a.m.

Our hardworking election officials at Jefferson Park Precinct

Voters line up in Recreation Precinct

Reporter Jennifer Black prepares to go on the air for WCAV-TV

Local headquarters of future President Barack Obama

A sentiment expressed not just on the First Amendment Chalkboard, but by write-in voters, too

Jazz trumpeter John D'earth and his band entertained voters at Recreation Precinct

A voter arrives at Recreation Precinct

Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris looks happy in anticipation of a big victory

The Charlottesville Tomorrow crew outside Walker Precinct

Feed the pig, feed the pig

Outside Venable Precinct, another band of merry musicians serenades waiting voters

NBC29 reporter Claire O'Brien interviews a political activist outside Venable Precinct

Hmm ... I guess not ...

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Election Day 2007 in Charlottesville

As few would not have predicted, the three Democratic candidates for Charlottesville City Council swept to victory on Tuesday, maintaining the monopoly on power that that political party has enjoyed for the bulk of the past generation. (Only two Republicans have been elected to public office in Charlottesville since 1982.)

Despite voter disquiet about a taxpayer-funded trip to Italy set to begin today, Mayor David Brown and his ticketmates trounced the two independents in the race, Barbara Haskins and Peter Kleeman.

The two top-of-the-ballot races, for state Senate and the House of Delegates, were uncontested, while many voters were surprised to find a three-way race for two seats on the Thomas Jefferson Soil & Water Conservation District, an office that heretofore had not been presented to voters for their choices on election day.

This was also the first time that City Council and School Board elections took place in Charlottesville in November rather than May. Turnout in the city on Tuesday was comparable to that of the last time three City Council seats were up, in May 2004 (when Mayor Brown was first elected, along with retiring council members Kendra Hamilton and Kevin Lynch). As a matter of fact, the fraction of voters who came out to the polls was precisely the same at 27 percent, although (because we now have a greater number of registered voters) the raw number of voters was larger. In May 2004, 5,339 people voted, and on Tuesday there were 6,085. (These figures are based on unofficial totals, subject to change after the canvass of results on Wednesday.)

One highlight for me on Tuesday was meeting a person who is perhaps Charlottesville's oldest living voter: Mr. William Duren, Jr., who is 102 years old. He came out to Alumni Hall Precinct to vote in person, and kindly granted my wish to photograph him (see below) for posterity:



Imagine: Mr. Duren was already eligible to vote when Calvin Coolidge was President of the United States, and Harry F. Byrd, Sr., was Governor of Virginia!

Tuesday was also a busy media day. I was interviewed twice by Lisa Ferrari of WCAV-TV (Channel 19), twice by WVIR-TV (Channel 29) -- in the morning by Jenn McDaniel and in the afternoon by David Douglas -- as well as by WMRA-FM in Harrisonburg and by Carlos Santos of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

During the 6:00 p.m. hour, two TV stations had simultaneous live shots at Recreation Precinct, with David Douglas interviewing General Registrar Sheri Iachetta and Lisa Ferrari interviewing me. Here's David and Sheri:



As usual, there were an array of interesting, amusing, provocative, and bawdy write-in votes for various offices. This was, as one might expect, an especially expansive phenomenon on November 6 because the first two races on the ballot were uncontested. Here are a few examples from the state Senate race:

Former Charlottesville Mayor Blake Caravati, former Charlottesville GOP chairman Bob Hodous, Bozo (2 votes for the clown), real estate magnate and entertainment mogul Coran Capshaw, radio personality Dick Mountjoy, the late Republican councilmember (and park namesake) Darden Towe, "Gay Rights," former Senator George Allen, Gumby, local Libertarian activist James Lark, Albemarle County Republican chairman Keith Drake, king of the pundits Larry Sabato, Mickey Mouse (5 votes), Osama Bin Laden, former City Council member Rob Schilling (5 votes), Delegate Rob Bell, Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul (3 votes), and Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert.

Also cast in this contest for the 25th District Senate Race were votes for two candidates running in the neighboring 24th District: Democrat David Cox and Libertarian Arin Sime (who had two votes). Full disclosure: I also received two votes in this race, but I haven't a clue as to who cast them. (There were 97 write-in votes in this contest.)

In the race for the 57th District of the House of Delegates, there were write-in votes for Anybody Else (2 votes), 59th District House candidate Connie Brennan, two more for Bob Hodous, Darth Vader, City Councilman Dave Norris, Donald Duck (2 votes), retiring Albemarle Sheriff Ed Robb, "Fair Tax," another for George Allen, God, another for James Lark, Jesus Christ, Councilman Kevin Lynch, three more for Mickey Mouse, the sophomoric homophone Mike Hunt, "Not Toscano," another for the world's most-wanted terrorist (Osama Bin Laden), five more for Rob Schilling, Reason magazine science correspondent Ron Bailey, two more for Congressman Ron Paul, Spoiled Yappy Dog, two for David Toscano's 2005 opponent Tom McCrystal, and one for blogger Waldo Jaquith. There were 107 total write-in votes in this contest.

There were comparatively few -- only 69 -- write-in votes for the Soil & Water District Commissioner race. This is a surprise given that most voters knew little about either the office or the candidates seeking it.

Once again, Bob Hodous shows up, alongside Bob Newhart (presumably the Mark Twain-award winning comic actor), Bozo, and Britney Spears. Others with ticks next to their name were Dolly Parton, "Old Relish Packet," former state climatologist Patrick Michaels, Delegate Rob Bell, Scottish poet Robert Burns, Rob Schilling, South Park fourth-grader Stan Marsh, and (once again) Stephen Colbert.

One would expect that in the highly-contested race for City Council, fewer voters would cast a write-in, since they were able to choose from among five highly-qualified candidates already on the ballot. Yet 97 write-ins were cast for Charlottesville City Council. Among them:

"A Better Candidate Please," School Board chairman Alvin Edwards, former Mayor Francis Fife, "Italian Junket" (and the related "Poggio a Caiano") James Lark (again), local social activists Joy Johnson and Karen Waters (4 votes for her), outgoing City Councilors Kendra Hamilton and Kevin Lynch, former Delegate Paul Harris, former Councilor Meredith Richards, Republican activist Randolph Byrd, former President Richard Nixon, Rob Schilling (11 votes), and "Save Crow Pool."

Finally, in the 7-person race for four School Board seats, there were 98 write-in votes, including several for various versions of current School Board member Charlie Kollmansperger (who chose not to seek a full term on the board after being appointed earlier this year to fill a vacancy). Other votes went to Helen Keller, "Hey Babe Babe," the ubiquitous James Lark, Frodo (the hobbit, I suppose), Dr. Ron Paul, Melinda St. Ours, school-choice proponent and Nobel laureate economist Milton Friedman, Rob Schilling (2 votes for him and one for his wife, Joan), "Outskirts Guy," and that champion race horse, Sea Biscuit.

I should add that Robert Brandon Smith, who announced that he was a write in candidate for virtually all offices on the ballot, received various votes in different configurations of his name for each of the available contests, though it is difficult to determine precisely how many of these votes were meant to be his.

All in all, this was quite an election, and now it is time for me to go to bed after a day that began with a wake-up call at 4:15 a.m. on Tuesday and ends at 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday.

Charlottesville Write-Ins

The other results from Tuesday's election will be widely available. We know that George Allen and Jim Webb have a razor-thin difference between them as of now (10:38 p.m.) and that all three ballot questions have passed by comfortable margins.

Of course, Charlottesville is an anomaly. Jim Webb took Charlottesville with more than 77 percent of the vote, while Al Weed beat Virgil Goode in the City of Charlottesville with more than 74 percent.

On Ballot Question No. 1, the Marshall/Newman Amendment, Charlottesville voted "no" by more than 77 percent. In two precincts, Venable and Alumni Hall, the "no" vote was more than 81 percent. Even in the largely African-American precinct, Tonsler, more than 78 percent of voters said "no" to Marshall/Newman.

Voters in Charlottesville took this election quite seriously. Only 38 write-in votes were cast -- 20 in the Senate race and 18 in the House of Representatives race.

Among those who received write-in votes for the U.S. Senate in Charlottesville were Libertarian Party activist James W. Lark (6 votes), former City Councilor Rob Schilling (2 votes), and -- with one vote each -- 2000 and 2004 presidential candidate Ralph Nader, current City Councilor Dave Norris, incumbent Congressman Virgil Goode, basketball legend Michael Air Jordan, one-time City Council candidate Thomas Hill, as well as "None of the Above" and "Fair Tax Plan." (Two names I do not recognize, John Harrison and Robert Hardie, also won write-in votes.)

In the Fifth Congressional District race, no write-in candidate received more than one vote, but Robert Hardie, James Lark, and "Fair Tax Plan" made repeat appearances. Other write-in votes went to libertarian philosopher Loren Lomasky, Grant Hill, Malcolm Randolph, Christopher Grossman, former City Councilor Meredith Richards, "Tomm Albro" (presumably former City Councilor Thomas Albro), and fictional characters Daffy Duck and Marty McFly. God was also on the list, as was this odd entrant, Frozen Peas. The single words "None," "Blank," and "Juanes" also received votes.

The name A D Copeland received one vote for the U.S. House, as did the variant, ADCOPELAND, for the U.S. Senate.

As another indication of the gravity by which Charlottesville voters viewed the election this year, besides the write-in votes, only 126 voters chose to skip the Senate race and only 155 chose to skip the House race. Moreover, there were no write-in votes cast by the 773 absentee voters.

Write Me In Care Of The Blues

The Charlottesville Electoral Board has completed its canvass of votes for the November 8 General and Special Election and submitted the results to the state. The numbers are posted on the State Board of Elections' web site.

What you won't see there are any of the names written in by voters who were not, for one reason or another, satisfied with the choices offered to them on the ballot.

The "certified" write-in candidate for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, L. Mills Moss, received no votes in either race. No surprise there.

Libertarian Party write-in candidates for those offices fared somewhat better. James W. Lark III received three votes for Governor and one for city Treasurer. Jeff Bowles received one vote for Lieutenant Governor.

Someone named "Bill D. Bypass" was popular enough to be named as an alternative for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and the House of Delegates. Apparently at least one Charlottesville voter was persuaded by the relentless radio ads, calling for a western bypass, from Albemarle County Board of Supervisors candidate Gary Grant (who was unsuccessful in his race against David Slutzky).

Celebrities also made the list: Uma Karuna Thurman received a vote for Lieutenant Governor, while Harriet Miers was someone's choice (not George Bush's, though) for Attorney General. Jesus Christ and Donald Duck both received votes instead of David Toscano and Tom McCrystal in the House of Delegates race (Mr. Duck getting two).

The Commonwealth's Attorney (an uncontested race featuring only the incumbent, Dave Chapman, on the ballot) had the most write-in votes, 62, with Mr. Belvedere, George Bush, Ward Churchill, Thomas Jefferson, Madonna, Matlock, and favorite son Dave Mathews [sic] making the grade.

The race for Sheriff, in which incumbent Cornelia Johnson ran unopposed, offers a glimpse at how some voters view their hometown. Someone must think of Charlottesville as Dodge City, since he (or she) cast his vote for Matt Dillon, while another must envision Charlottesville as more like Mayberry, since that person's vote went to Andy Taylor. Madonna also got a vote for Sheriff, as did Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo and Sergeant Mike Farruggio.

One has to wonder how Bugs Bunny, Jerry Garcia, and James Madison all got votes for Commissioner of Revenue, as well as Johnny Depp, Kermit the Frog, and Alexander Hamilton for city Treasurer. (Hamilton makes a sort of sense, actually.)

Local politicians and political figures also turn up on the list of write-ins:

58th District Delegate Rob Bell was written in for Commonwealth's Attorney, Sheriff, Commissioner of Revenue, and Treasurer. Can he juggle the responsibilities for all those jobs?

In the House of Delegates race, voters also chose City Councilor Rob Schilling, former City Councilor Meredith Richards (2 votes), the 57th District incumbent, Mitch Van Yahres, and Rich Collins, who lost the Democratic nomination for that office to David Toscano in the June primary. (Collins got four write-in votes on Tuesday.)

Alternative choices for Commonwealth's Attorney included Charlottesville Republican Committee Chairman Bob Hodous, local Libertarian activist Arin Sime, and taxpayer advocate Buddy Weber, who also received a vote for Commissioner of Revenue.

Former School Board member Bill Igbani, blogger Waldo Jaquith, and former Fifth Congressional District Republican Party Chairman Randolph Byrd each received a vote for Treasurer.

Charlottesville attorney Tom Albro, who was the first candidate to face Mitch Van Yahres in a House of Delegates election, received votes for that same office once again, Commonwealth's Attorney, and Sheriff.

Quite common were expressions of dissatisfaction with the range of choices on the ballot. These included "None of the Above," which appears as a choice for Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General, and its acronym, NOTA, cast for Commonwealth's Attorney, Sheriff, and Commissioner of the Revenue.

Similar statements of frustration were Alternative, Anyone, Anyone But, Anyone Else, No Choice, No Vote, None, and Someone Honest.

Perhaps the most personal of these seemed to be directed at the sole candidate for Treasurer, incumbent Jennifer Brown: "I Hate You Jennifer."