News Briefs
NO WITNESS NEEDED IN MAIL BALLOTS -- Virginians voting by mail/absentee ballots for the November 3 elections: If you believe you may not safely have a witness present while completing the absentee ballot for this election, you are not required to have a witness sign your ballot envelope. Your ballot will not be rejected due to a missing witness signature. (Virginia Department of Elections)
MASKS NOT MANDATORY AT POLLS – Masks will be strongly encouraged at Virginia polling places, but not mandatory. Virginia voters who show up on Election Day without a mask or visibly sick will be asked to put a mask on or cast their ballot outside the polling place, but they won’t be denied access if they refuse, according to state election officials. At a virtual media briefing last Tuesday on the state’s plans for a coronavirus-disrupted presidential election, Elections Commissioner Chris Piper said the state can’t prohibit anyone from voting if they insist on casting a ballot indoors without wearing a mask.
So, friends, if you are concerned about voting safely, consider Early In Person Voting at the Registrar’s office. Oct. 31 is the last day to do so. If you still opt to Vote on Election Day, do wear a mask and keep your distance from others in line. Officers of Elections will be masked and will work to ensure a safe environment.
WEBB RACE TIGHTENS -- Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight recently released a forecast for all 2020 House races. Based on polling, fundraising, and past voting data, they're currently projecting Cameron to win VA-05 by a 0.4 percent margin.
In a race as close as ours, we can leave no stone unturned during these final weeks. The election could come down to just hundreds of votes! Every neighborhood that sees our ads and every handful of voters that Cameron meets out on the trail could make the difference on November 3rd.
As we get closer to Election Day, it is crucial that we invest in as much voter communication as possible to ensure Cameron’s victory in November.
VA. EARLY VOTING TRIPLE 2016 -- By last Thursday, more than 1.7 million Virginians had already voted in the November 3 election -- more than 3x the early votes recorded in 2016. (See Larry Stopper’s column on Nelson stats.)
WHEN TO EXPECT ELECTION RESULTS IN WASHINGTON REGION -- The onslaught of mail-in voting in 2020 — and the cumbersome procedures to count those ballots — could delay full election results by days or weeks in some parts of the region. Elections staff in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. are racing to process as many mail-in ballots and early votes as possible before the polls close on Nov. 3. Although unofficial results will be published after polls close on election night in each jurisdiction, officials say those totals will be updated with thousands of absentee and mail-in ballots that are counted in the days that follow.
WHAT TO EXPECT NOV 3 -- Join Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) this Wednesday, October 28 at 2 p.m. on Zoom as we discuss important changes in the way Virginia will report election results this November. Jessica Bowman, Chief Deputy Commissioner at the Virginia Department of Elections, will join the VPAP team to explore the new laws and circumstances that will make November's election unlike any other.
Registration is limited to 500 people. By registering now, you'll receive an email with the link on the day of the event. The confirmation email you'll receive upon signing up will have the option to add the webinar to your calendar. https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_br2YhzZTQS2n46O6t7dLCA
WHAT IF EVERYBODY SHOWS UP TO VOTE? -- The Atlantic penned this great piece: The November Surprise. What if everyone showed up to vote this year?
VA. FLAGS HALF-STAFF LAST FRIDAY IN MEMORY OF LAWYER IN LOVING V. VIRGINIA CASE -- Bernard S. Cohen, who won a landmark case that led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of laws forbidding interracial marriage and later went on to a successful political career as a state legislator, died last week at age 86. In honor of Cohen, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced last Thursday that the Virginia flag at the State Capitol in Richmond would fly at half-staff Oct. 23. The order also allows Virginia flags to be at half-staff in Alexandria and other localities across the state.
NELSON’S CONFEDERATE SOLDIER STATUE – The Confederate statue at the Nelson County Courthouse appears unlikely to go anywhere for at least the next few months, with the board of supervisors opting instead to focus on other issues. More here.
NELSON BOS DOG RULING -- A public hearing on a proposed ordinance that would amend county code prohibiting dogs from running at large, the result of grassroots efforts by the Piney River community, is planned for the Nelson County Board of Supervisors’ Nov. 10 meeting. Details here.
COVID SURGE IN VIRGINIA -- After a decline, coronavirus now surging throughout much of Virginia. If you’re watching the coronavirus pandemic by the numbers for signs of improvement, you could get whiplash from one week to the next. Coming off a brief period in which no health district was surging in new infections, Virginia’s caseload appeared to be receding while other states across the country were headed down the opposite path. Now, all but the northern part of the state is having an upward trajectory, based on data collected by the Virginia Department of Health.
NELSON COVID INCREASE TOO -- As of 5 p.m. on October 21, we had 132 cases, 2 deaths. Because of limited testing, the actual number of cases in Nelson County is likely much higher. Virginia has 168,772 cases, 1,010 hospitalizations, 3,515 deaths. Get all stats here.
VA. GOVERNOR WANTS TO REDUCE HUNGER -- Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, nearly 850,000 Virginians were already considered food insecure, meaning they can’t reliably access food. In the wider Hampton Roads area alone, there are more than 180,000 people who fall into that category, a third of them children. The COVID-19 crisis has thrown the issue into even sharper relief, state officials said this week. An additional nearly half a million people in the state are experiencing food insecurity due to the pandemic.
JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP PLAN TO CUT FOOD STAMPS TO UNEMPLOYED AMERICANS – A federal judge last Sunday struck down the Trump administration's effort to end food stamp benefits for nearly 700,000 unemployed people, calling it “arbitrary and capricious.” Read it here:
VA. JOBS RECOVERY DROP -- After recovering a total of 68,000 jobs in August, Virginia saw its labor force fall by 71,954, or 1.7%, in September, according to employment statistics released last Tuesday by the Virginia Employment Commission. Between September 2019 and September 2020, the VEC estimates that Virginia has lost 207,100 jobs a 5.1% decrease.
VA. LEGISLATURE MAKES PROGRESS ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORMS. BUT LONG WAY TO GO -- After two months of deliberation, the Virginia special legislative session has effectively ended. State lawmakers should congratulate themselves for a number of worthwhile criminal justice and policing reforms and prepare themselves for even more difficult, necessary work when the regular session begins in January. Details here.
STIMULUS BILL IN JEOPARDY -- The inability of U.S. leadership to pass a stimulus bill in the face of economic catastrophe amounts to a historic national failure, according to historians, public health experts, economists, and lawmakers of both parties. Maybe most vexing is Trump's refusal to push harder for a deal, despite its importance to his reelection and his reputation as a skilled negotiator.