Election Day 2014 – Open Thread

The time has finally arrived for choosing. Polls are now opening all across Virginia and Bearing Drift contributors will be using this post to keep you updated on events as we learn them all day until the polls close. Check back frequently and also let us know your thoughts and observations in the comments.

To learn who is on the ballot, visit the State Board of Elections.


1900 — The open thread is ending. Election Night coverage starts NOW

1850 — Charlottesville had 23% turnout at 4 p.m.;  Albemarle County had 34% at the same time.

1845 — Turnout between 40-50% in Fluvanna, as a local Sheriff election has driven up numbers/turnout

1838 – Well now:

 

1800 – Old Towne Precinct (Suffolk): Vote count at 274, likely to end up somewhere between 300 and 310 when it’s all over. That’s under 40%, despite a 3-way City Council race. Precinct is roughly D+7 compared to the rest of the state.

1733 — Update on the voting machine irregularities in the 2nd CD. Forty-three precincts are have reported difficulties:

1 Alanton
2 Arrowhead
3 Bayside
4 Birdneck
5 Bonney
6 Cape Henry
7 Centerville
8 Chimney Hill
9 Colonial
10 Colony
11 Courthouse
12 Culver
13 Dahlia
14 Glenwood
15 Great Neck
16 Homestead
17 Hunt
18 Kingston
19 Lafayette, ORF
20 Lake Christopher
21 Larkspur
22 Linkhorn
23 London Bridge
24 Lynnhaven
25 Manor
26 North Beach
27 Ocean Lakes
28 Old Donation
29 Pleasant Hall
30 Pembroke
31 Rock Lake
32 Rosement Forest
33 Rudee
34 Seatack
35 Shelton Park
36 Sherry Park
37 Sigma
38 Stratford Chase
39 Strawbridge
40 Tallwood
41 Trantwood
42 Upton
43 Witchduck

1728 – Update from Jim Hoeft: Centreville precinct — over 800 voted so far, traffic picking up.

1721 – Some larger perspective (even if it is from Twitter):

 

1629 – From Charlie Judd, via Facebook, regarding those “calibration errors”:

Election Central:

Voting going very smoothly…new photo ID working with as few as a dozen issues-statewide..!
The ‘calibration’ issue on 32 touchscreen machines in Virginia Beach (out of more than 800 machines) has been addressed. Those 32 machines were taken out of service immediately when the problem was discovered. The problem was discovered when the voter noticed either while trying to touch his ‘choice’ or the verification screen…which the voter must APPROVE before the vote is actually cast.

The sky is NOT falling…

1623 – D.J. McGuire reports: “Old Towne: 217 as of 4 PM. We *might* get to 300 (under 40%). Comparable to 2006.”

1620 – Meanwhile, at Warner campaign HQ, we get a “since” of the mood this evening:

 

1605- Chris Saxman says that if you want a bellwether for the Senate race, you should keep an eye on…Staunton:

Not only has Staunton been consistent with picking the winner, but her accuracy over the last FIVE state wide elections with the spread and actual percentage vote for BOTH parties is…well…amazing.

1510 – More voting irregularities. This sent in from a loyal reader and friend:

Just got a call from my neighbor. She was voting at Ridgefield Precinct in Henrico Co. The machine highlighted Gillespie, but in the review panel, it had selected Warner.

And to boot, the election worker gave her lip and asked “so you really want to change it?”

She’s old and didn’t know what to do.

1455 – It’s been said that you could stamp a “D” on a plank and hope it will get elected. We never thought we’d see it in action (this is in the 10th Congressional District – Dominion Trail):

d_on_plank

1450 – Rep. Randy Forbes has been making his way from Chesterfield and southeast through the district. Here’s a montage of his meeting with constituents recently in Suffolk:

forbes_montage

1440 – Members of the DPVA and RPVA received an afternoon update from the State Board of Elections Commissioner Edgardo Cortés and staff:

sbe_party_update

1430 – MSNBC Sounding the Alarm in Virginia for Mark Warner

1315 – The Virginia Department of Elections has issued the following statement on the voting machine issue:

RICHMOND, VA – November 4, 2014 – The Virginia Department of Elections was notified this morning that both Virginia Beach and Newport News are experiencing technical difficulties with their AccuVote TSX Touch Screen voting machines. Some voters reported having a different selection appear after making their choice. These technical difficulties are being addressed by both localities’ teams of voting equipment technicians in conjunction with AccuVote vendors.

Based on discussions with local election officials, the issues appear related to touch screen calibration. All voting machines are tested prior to each election, however some machines may need additional calibration after transportation to a precinct. Localities have indicated that voting machines exhibiting any issues are immediately taken out of service until they can be checked by a technician. Both localities have sufficient voting machines at each precinct for voting to continue without delay.

Touch screen voting machine voters have an opportunity to review their selections and make final edits on a summary screen before their ballot is cast. If a machine does not reflect the voter’s choice, the voter should notify an officer of election prior to casting their ballot.

The Department of Elections will continue to monitor the situation and work with local election officials on a speedy resolution.

Bearing Drift has been informed that the number of affected precincts in Virginia Beach is now 38.

1240 – At a press conference earlier today, Rigell stated that the issue of voting irregularities at now 19 precincts in Virginia Beach – Virginia’s largest city – is “deeply troubling.” He was particularly annoyed that “Every error is going against my campaign and in favor of my challenger.” He also said that “This issue is real and we’re not even halfway through the day. It’s very troubling… It has our full attention and we’re going to see what unfolds.”

Not surprisingly, the Suzanne Patrick campaign thought it was no big deal:

“Virginia has elections every year and we trust that the Department of Elections is doing everything it can to ensure accuracy during the voting process,” said campaign manager Michelle Gajewski. “We will, of course, work with election officials to ensure this accuracy. Our campaign has gotten a very low and limited number of reports about difficulties casting ballots today. In all cases, the problem was resolved quickly and the voter walked away satisfied that each had cast his or her ballot successfully.”

The updated list of affected precincts:

Bayside
Great Neck
Stratford Chase
Kingston
Colonial
Centerville
Alanton
Witchduck
Sherry Park
Homestead
Dahlia
Linkhorn
Hunt
Lake Christoper
North Beach
London Bridge
Upton
Tallwood
Larksburg
Corporate Landing

1230 – Some precinct updates:

Rick Sincere: At 9 a.m. in Charlottesville we had just over 2,400 voters, about 200 fewer than at the same time in 2013.
Melissa Kenney: 586 votes at noon in Fluvanna, just about 100 votes/hour. We are at 2013 numbers, which was close to 50% turnout. (ed. note: Fluvanna is the center of the universe).
Jason Kenney: Chesterfield 413 – was voter 615 at 11:30 in precinct that had just under 2000 senate votes in 12, went for Kaine then by 100 votes.

And, then there’s this from RightWingNews yesterday:

liberal_lamentations

1200 – Team Gillespie rallying the troops via email about an hour ago:

Polls have been open for 5 hours already and the team here is incredibly encouraged by where we are. But we can’t let up!

If you haven’t voted yet, click here to find or confirm your polling place and get there as soon as you can.

If you’re at work and are about to take your lunch break, bring a co-worker with you to the polls and let them know why you’re voting for Ed

Don’t let anything, like traffic or a last minute surprise, keep you from voting. This election is too important.

Audrey Jackson
Political Director
Ed Gillespie for Senate

1145 – RPV responds to voting machine issues in Virginia Beach:

RPV is monitoring an apparently [sic] problem with touch screen voting machines in Virginia Beach and some other localities. We have alerted local officials, as well as the Department of Elections.

We are reminding all voters using these machines to review their ballots carefully before they are cast.

Find a letter to the Department at this link.

1115 – Video showing what’s happening in Virginia Beach with automatic vote switching:

1000 – From Brian Schoeneman, regarding the voting machine errors in Virginia Beach, “Sounds like a calibration error on the machine. Easy to fix, relatively common problem, one of the many reasons we’re phasing out DRE touchscreen machines [in the Commonwealth].”

0950 – More on irregularities in Virginia Beach. Rep. Rigell to hold a press conference at 11 am. The following precincts have reported issues:

1. Bayside
2. Great Neck
3. Stratford Chase
4. Acredale
5. Colonial
6. Centerville
7. Alanton
8. Witchduck
9. Sherry Park
10. Homestead
11. Green Run

0945 –

 

0930 – K6 Consulting Group

Not a precise science, but Google Trends is showing searches for Ed Gillespie passing Mark Warner lately. Interest could cut both ways, positive or negative, but that shows name ID is solid for both candidates and that is good news for Ed Gillespie.

Google_search

0925 – RIDGEFIELD PRECINCT, HENRICO – 475 voters. This is considered a split precinct.

0920 – D.J. McGuire
OLD TOWNE PRECINCT, SUFFOLK – I just heard from my precinct captain that we have 77 votes cast as of 9AM. Assuming we’re about to enter a slower period, it looks like a typical midterm (under 40% turnout here).

0900 – Rep. Scott Rigell via Facebook

VIRGINIA BEACH – Friends – we have received numerous, credible reports of poll machine irregularity at voting precincts in Virginia’s Second Congressional District. This is very troubling. It is critical that every voter verifies the final summary page before pushing the “cast ballot” option.

If your voting machine incorrectly recorded your vote, PLEASE report this issue immediately to our Campaign Manager, Esmel Meeks, by phone: 757-425-0680 or by email: [email protected].
Please help us spread this message by contacting your family and friends and remind them to double check the summary page before submitting their vote! In every election, every vote matters. Help us make sure each one is recorded correctly. Thank you for your support.

0855 – CHARLOTTESVILLE – When was the last time we saw something like this out of UVA? WAY TO GO, UVA CRS!

UVA_CRs

0845 – State Sen. Jeff McWaters (from Facebook)

VIRGINIA BEACH – “Please text all friends – ALERT!! Voting machine errors reported at the polls. Please double check your voting summary to make sure your votes are correct before submitting.”

0840 – Chris Green (from Facebook)

These were the promises they made back in 2008. How are they doing, folks? Click to embiggen.

promises

0830 – Brian Schoeneman, Fairfax County Electoral Board Secretary
FAIRFAX COUNTY-

 

 

0730 – Virginia House Majority Leader Kirk Cox

WINTERPOCK PRECINCT, CHESTERFIELD –

Rep. Randy Forbes, Del. Kirk Cox, and Sen. Steve Martin welcome voters in Chesterfield.
Rep. Randy Forbes, Del. Kirk Cox, and Sen. Steve Martin welcome voters in Chesterfield.

0730 – JR Hoeft
COOPERS WAY PRECINCT, CHESAPEAKE – A steady stream of people going into this high GOP precinct. By the time I voted, 172 folks had already been through the process. I proudly provided my identification to the election workers and cast my ballot for Ed Gillespie for US Senate, Randy Forbes for US House of Representatives, and ‘Yes’ on the ballot amendment to exempt property taxes for the spouses of those who gave their last full measure of devotion to the United States and our commonwealth.

0630 – Pete Snyder and Barbara Comstock at Langley High School, Comstock’s home precinct

snyder_comstock

0545 – DJ McGuire
OLD TOWNE PRECINCT, SUFFOLK – At the outside table awaiting the opening. This is a small precinct that’s solidly Dem. Turnout could be as low as 300 (out of 800), but there is a 3-way City Council race going on (full disclosure: my wife is the incumbent’s niece), so that could skew turnout upward.

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