November 9, 2006
Not much was on the agenda in Virginia Tuesday; state elections happen one year after the presidential elections. But there were a few things of importance on the ballot, so here's what the voting machine (allegedly) recorded from my time there:
US Senate
George "Macaca" Allen (R) vs. Jim "Lieberman Democrat" Webb (D)
My vote: Webb
Result: Webb
This was a continuation of the "throw the bums out" voting program I started in 2004. The Democrats may not be any better, but we'd just be throwing good money/resources/people after bad by keeping the Republicans in power. As it stands, the senate is 50-49 in favor of the Dems; they need Webb to win to gain a majority since if they tie 50-50 Cheney would make it 51-50 on a tiebreaker.
Edit, 4:44 PM: Apparently the news organizations are calling it for Webb, and Allen is "disinclined" to request a recount. Even though I want him to lose I don't see why he wouldn't want a recount; the determining factor was something like a third of a percent of the votes cast. Forget about conspiracies, you can swing the vote that much with a good, clean, honest foul-up.
Virginia District 11
Thom Davis (R) vs. Andrew "Who?" Hurst
My vote: Hurst
Result: Davis
I didn't really have a strong opinion about this race until not too long before the election, and it had nothing to do with policy. Apparently Davis opposed a housing development in/near Vienna because too many "urban types" ("brown people"?) might move in and vote Democrat. That earned him a nice big "fuck you" at the booth. Didn't really expect Hurst to win, though.
State Issue 1: Gay-Marriage Constitutional Ban
My vote: No
Result: Passed
The result has no effect on me, but I can't honestly believe that this is one of the most important issues facing the state. Does two gay people getting married actually hurt anybody, or was this just a bunch of Baptists and rednecks voting that being gay is "icky"?
State Issue 2: Remove Prohibition on Church Incorporation from Constitution
My vote: Yes
Result: Passed
The state constitution contains (contained) a passage preventing churches from incorporating. This was rules unconstitutional so the passage couldn't be enforced anyway. No harm in removing it, so why not tidy up the books a bit?
State Issue 3: More Local Property Tax Break Powers
My vote: Yes
Result: Passed
Currently local governments have the ability to provide partial exemptions on property tax on old properties that have undergone substantial improvement. The amendment allows them to do the same for new construction (which I would consider an improvement). Maybe we can even bring some more "urban types" into the area...
Local Issue 1: Bonds for Emergency Services
My vote: Yes
Result: Passed
This was to use the county's AAA bond rating (the best possible, with the lowest interest rates) to raise money to improve emergency services to cope with the increasing poulation. Sounded like a good idea to me. I have no idea if it passed though, since the Fairfax County web site routes me to the main Virginia elections page... which for local issues sends me right back to fairfaxcounty.gov. Oops?
Edit, 4:44 PM: Found it. The results are in the PDF labeled "Countywide Turnout Report". Yeah, that makes sense.
Local Issue 2: Bonds for Parks
My vote: Abstained
Result: Passed
Similar to the previous issue, this was to raise money for park improvements and (if I remember right) land purchases. I don't really use the parks, but I didn't want to vote against it either.
And that's it. Not much to vote on this time around, and a little disappointment that my state of residence lived up to the stereotype of the intolerant southerner.
