Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Fairfax County Election Commission says electronic ballot scanning machines and other tools could make lines at the polls shorter.
Last November, some Fairfax County residents reported long lines and wait times of more than three hours to cast their vote at the polls; some abandoned voting all together. But some 50 recommendations from Fairfax County’s new election commission — many of them focused on technology that will speed up parts of the voting process — could solve the problem. How quickly changes are made, though, depends on how much room officials can find in this year's budget to implement new programs in time for the next presidential election. Electronic Polling Books Among the recommendations in a report delivered Tuesday to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors was using Electronic Polling Books (EPBs), which would streamline the check-in process for …
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Chairman Sharon Bulova proposed the commission, which will address long lines and wait times.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Tuesday forming a commission that will try to improve long lines and reduce wait times on Election Day. In her request to the Board, Chairman Sharon Bulova said she wanted to address the county’s efficiency during elections, a desire she made public earlier this month. This year’s turnout in the county was 80.5 percent of registered voters, up from 78.7 percent in 2008. More than 529,000 people showed up to the polls, about 12,000 more than four years ago. But officials say the higher turnout resulted in long waits at some poll locations. While some voters waited no more than 30 minutes at peak hours, the last vote in the county was cast at 10:30 p.m. – a wait of more than three …
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Incumbent congressman has more than five times campaign funds as challenger Cabral's $138,054.
With the election less than two months away, politican campaigns are heating up, including Virginia's 10th congressional district race. Both candidates in the race are keeping busy. Local Democrats gathered Sunday in McLean for a fundraising reception to benefit Democrat Kristin Cabral, who is running for Congress. Meanwhile, incumbent Congressman Frank R. Wolf, Jr., spent his Saturday campaigning in Prince William County's Haymarket, where he was getting to know some of his new constituents. Haymarket was added to Virginia's 10th congressional district after redistricting. McLean resident Cabral, a 46-year-old Harvard Law grad, federal prosecutor and mother of two, is running against Republican Wolf, 73, of Vienna. Wolf and his wife have …
Monday, May 14, 2012
Notice of your new congressional district
About half of McLean --- basically the neighbors living south of Dolley Madison Boulevard--- are receiving new voter registration cards because they have a new congressman. Remember the Democrats and Republicans drastically changed the boundaries of Virginia's 11 congressional districts. The Republican leaning districts became more Republican and the Democratic leaning districts more Democratic. Redistricting also ensures that the 11 districts are as equal in population totals as possible. All of McLean had previously been represented by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10th)). Now the southern half of McLean is represented by Rep. Jim Moran (D-8th). Approximately 195,000 voters in Fairfax County now live in a new congressional district including many …
Dave Webster
6:23 am on Thursday, November 22, 2012
I don't know what the economics are on purchasing machines, but it was my personal experience being a poll watcher that the electronic voting machines had a failure rate that was too high. At Dolley Madison Library one day, I saw two electronic voting machines that froze up and had to be restarted and one that had to be removed and replaced, all within a two hour time period. The optical scanners… more ›