Tuesday is Election Day, and residents in the Historic Triangle have several items on their ballots, as well as some changes, to keep in mind when heading to the polls.
Due to recent changes in state voter identification laws, voters need to bring acceptable identification to the polls. Voters arriving to the polls without identification will be required to vote with a provisional ballot and will have until noon on Friday to deliver a copy to their locality’s electoral board in order for the provisional ballot to be counted. Some acceptable forms of identification include a valid driver’s license, voter registration card or military ID. Visit the State Board of Elections website for a full list of acceptable forms of identification.
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Historic Triangle. Visit the State Board of Elections website to find out where to vote, to see what is on your ballot, to get details on referendum questions and more. Since redistricting, some polling places and district lines have changed, so be sure to verify your voting location.
The James City County Recreation Center on Longhill Road will be open only for polling Tuesday, as it is a voting site and the county expects a high turnout.
Federal Write-In Absentee Ballots (FWAB) for absent or overseas military voters and their dependents may be used to register and vote until the polls close.
On the Ballot
Residents of James City County’s Jamestown District are the only Triangle residents with local seats up for election. Residents of this District will be asked to choose a member of the Board of Supervisors; on the ballot will be Republican John Wright III and Democrat James O. Icenhour. Jamestown District voters will also be asked to choose a School Board representative; James Kelly and A. Reese Peck are running as Independents.
On the ballots for all Triangle residents will be:
- President and Vice President: Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan; Republican
- President and Vice President: Barack Obama/Joe Biden; Democrat
- President and Vice President: Virgil Goode/Jim Clymer; Constitution
- President and Vice President: Gary Johnson/James P. Gray; Libertarian
- President and Vice President: Jill Stein/Cheri Honkala; Green
- United States Senate: George F. Allen; Republican
- United States Senate: Timothy M. Kaine; Democrat
- House of Representatives, First District: Robert J. “Rob” Wittman; Republican
- House of Representatives, First District: Adam M. Cook; Democrat
- House of Representatives, First District: G. Gail Parker; Independent Green
Constitutional Amendments
The following questions will be on the ballot Tuesday:
Question 1: “Shall Section 11 of Article I (Bill of Rights) of the Constitution of Virginia be amended (i) to require that eminent domain only be exercised where the property taken or damaged is for public use and, except for utilities or the elimination of a public nuisance, not where the primary use is for private gain, private benefit, private enterprise, increasing jobs, increasing tax revenue, or economic development; (ii) to define what is included in just compensation for such taking or damaging of property; and (iii) to prohibit the taking or damaging of more private property than is necessary for the public use?”
Eminent domain is the ability of governments to take private property for public use. The state’s push to limit eminent domain started with the U.S. Supreme Court decision Kelo v. City of New London, which opened up the use of this tool for economic purposes. (Read a New York Times story on the decision here). Since then, legislators have worked to tighten state laws on the issue.
Governor Bob McDonnell and Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli support the amendment; The Virginia Association of Counties and the Virginia Municipal League, groups that represent the interests of local governments, do not support the amendment. Read more about the issue in a previous story.
Question 2: “Shall Section 6 of Article IV (Legislature) of the Constitution of Virginia concerning legislative sessions be amended to allow the General Assembly to delay by no more than one week the fixed starting date for the reconvened or ‘veto’ session when the General Assembly meets after a session to consider the bills returned to it by the Governor with vetoes or amendments?”
The Constitution now requires that the veto session has to begin on the sixth Wednesday following the end of each session. The veto session usually lasts for only one day and cannot last more than 10 days. This amendment will allow the General Assembly to delay the start of the veto session for up to one week and avoid the possible scheduling of the veto session on a religious holiday.
