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| Franklin County residents will also vote for supervisors and school board members |
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Friday, October 30, 2009
By JOEL TURNER - Staff Writer
The race for Virginia governor has gotten the most attention by the news media this fall, but Franklin County voters will be casting ballots in several other statewide and local races when they go to the polls Tuesday.
If past election history is a guide, fewer than 55 percent of the county's 33,638 registered voters will cast ballots in the race between Republican Bob McDonnell and Democrat Creigh Deeds.
In elections for governor, a majority of Franklin County voters regularly cast their ballots for the Republican candidate.
Only once during the past two decades and five gubernatorial elections has a Democratic candidate for governor won in Franklin County - and that was a victory by less than 500 votes.
Former Gov. Mark Warner (now a United States senator), a Democrat, narrowly defeated Republican Mark Earley in Franklin County in the 2001 election for governor.
The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Besides the governor's race, Franklin County voters will cast ballots in the race for lieutenant governor between Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and his Democratic challenger, Jody Wagner.
In the third statewide contest, voters will choose between Republican Ken Cuccinelli and Democrat Steve Shannon for attorney general.
In local contests on Tuesday's ballot, Franklin County voters will choose between Del, Charles Poindexter, a Republican, and Sherman Witcher, an Independent Green party candidate, for the Ninth District seat in the House of Delegates.
Three seats on the Franklin County Board of Supervisors are on the ballot, but there is a contest for only one seat.
In the Rocky Mount District, John Lester, a Rocky Mount Town Council member, is challenging incumbent Charles Wagner, who is chairman of the supervisors.
Both Wagner and Lester are running as independents.
In Snow Creek, incumbent Supervisor Leland Mitchell, a Democrat, is running unopposed for re-election.
In the Boone District, Ronald Thompson, a Republican, is running unopposed for the seat that is being vacated by David Hurt.
In other local races on Tuesday's ballot, four incumbent school board members are running unopposed for re-election.
They are Sarah Alexander, Rocky Mount District; G.B. Washburn Jr., Snow Creek; Marilyn Starkey, Boone; and William Helm, at-large member.
Contested school board elections are a rarity in the county. In many localities in Virginia, contested school board elections are also the exception, not the rule. |
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