Election Day in Cape Charles Presents Historic Complication

Only Cape Charles voters will see a fourth screen (ABOVE) to select a replacement member of Town Council.

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

November 4, 2012

Tuesday is believed to be the first time in Cape Charles’ history that a Town Council election will be held concurrent with a Presidential election.

And it’s not just a matter of adding an additional page (or screen) to the voting machine.

What complicates matters is that when voters walk into Trinity UMC Fellowship Hall on Tazewell Avenue, some of them will be eligible to vote in the Town Council election and the rest will not.

District 1 covers most of the lower third of Northampton County, extending all the way south past Kiptopeke, and everyone in District 1 has to come to Cape Charles to vote.

About 1,800 voters reside in District 1. Only about 700 of them live in the Town of Cape Charles.

Further complicating the procedure is that all the voting machines will be programed to accept both residents of Cape Charles and non-residents.

Northampton Registrar Terrence “Terry” Flynn told the Wave that dedicating a machine to Cape Charles voters risked creating delays for non-town voters.

Kind of like seeing a long line at the ladies restroom, with no waiting for the mens room.

(CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE)

Town voters will be identified at check-in and given a large, brightly colored card to hand to the voting machine attendant.

The machine attendant will be responsible for setting the controls either for a town voter or a non-town voter.

What if a mistake is made? Flynn said that a town voter who fails to see a town council ballot on the machine should ask the operator to reset the machine and try again.

However, if the voter clicks the final box and leaves the booth, it’s too late.

Under Virginia state law, whatever results are registered on the computerized voting machine must be accepted, even if paper records disagree.

So if the computers show more town council votes recorded than Cape Charles voters who came to the polls, so be it.

When a Cape Charles resident uses a voting machine, she’ll see four consecutive screens.

The first screen shows choices for the Presidential, Senate, and Congressional races.

Boxes for the Presidential ballot are indicated by party in the following order: Republican Party, Democratic Party, Constitution Party, Libertarian Party, Green Party.

But boxes for Senate and House of Representatives are indicated by the contestant’s name, followed by an R or a D.

The second screen is for state issues, and shows two proposed state constitutional amendments.

Question 1 asks if the Virginia constitution should be amended to restrict the practice of eminent domain (the taking of private property by the government) only to cases when the property will be put to public use.

Question 2 asks whether the General Assembly should be allowed to delay for up to a week before reconvening to vote on bills returned by the Governor with vetoes or amendments.

The third screen  is for Northampton County issues — in this case whether the school board should be elected by the voters instead of appointed.

The fourth and final screen is for Cape Charles voters only, to select a town councilman to replace the late Don Clarke, who was elected at the regular Town Council election May 1 but who passed away before taking office.

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Comments

9 Responses to “Election Day in Cape Charles Presents Historic Complication”

  1. Tim Krawczel on November 4th, 2012 11:13 am

    Thanks for letting me know what to expect on election day. This will make the process go much smoother.

  2. Joanne Warren on November 4th, 2012 1:19 pm

    I have been a proud citizen of Cape Charles for over 82 years. It saddens me to read the negative publicity our town is receiving published in the Wave.

  3. Kathleen Mullen on November 4th, 2012 3:20 pm

    Thank you for allowing voters another chance at seeing the ballots prior to election day. The ballots will also be displayed at the poll. If anyone has a question at any time during the voting process there will be numerous workers and a Chief of Election present who has years of experience. As a first-time poll worker in Cheriton, I know all of us involved want an informed electorate and an honest election. Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

  4. David Gay on November 6th, 2012 9:37 am

    Thank you WAVE for providing unbiased, honest reporting of the election. What concerns me is the lack of response from the Town Council on the many concerns that have been raised by the conscientious WAVE reporters and concerned citizens. The silence is deafening! Once again this is our town government choosing not to communicate with the people.

    Joanne, it saddens us all to hear the negative publicity. It is about time the Town Council steps up to the job and work with their constituents. If they did we would have positive publicity! And you should be proud of Cape Charles — it is a great place to live, but that does not mean we should be silent about things that are wrong. We will make Cape Charles an even better place by staying engaged in our local politics and ensuring representation for ALL.

  5. Dora Sullivan on November 6th, 2012 12:35 pm

    David,
    I told Karen that I would respond and I did. My response went out yesterday on the Town’s Gazette.

  6. Ron Wrucke on November 7th, 2012 11:49 am

    Comment to Dora: .. and your response was reasonable and made public in a responsible way. Much more suitable than a posting on this blog which feeds on negativity.

    The WAVE responds: The word “blog,” being new, is often misunderstood. The Cape Charles Wave is not a blog. Webster’s Dictionary defines a blog as “a Web site containing the writer’s or group of writers’ own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having images and links to other Web sites.”

    Webster’s defines a “newspaper” as “a publication issued at regular and usually close intervals, especially daily or weekly, and commonly containing news, comment, features, and advertising.”

    You will note that Webster’s says nothing about a newspaper having to be on “paper.” Almost all newspapers currently have an online component, and within 10 years very few newspapers will be available on paper.

    Finally, the Wave does not “feed” on negativity. Look at today’s edition:
    1) A story about the election results
    2) A feel-good story about kittens who want a home
    3) Candidate(s) statement(s)
    4) Local upcoming events
    5) News report on the Wetlands Board
    6) News report about upcoming election, including interview with County Registrar and explaining historic “first”
    7) Letter to the Editor calling for voters to approve electing school board members
    8) (Now removed but viewable under the “News” tab): Sample ballots as a public service
    9) Free classified ads
    10) Display advertising, including a 10% off coupon for Hook U Up.

    Yes, there have been some “negative” reports” — specifically the Wave editorial pointing out that the town manager and assistant manager unethically used their official positions to try to manipulate council elections. (Click the OPINION tab to read the editorial.)

    In the former Soviet Union the state-controlled Pravda newspaper avoided negativity. Cape Charles residents who wish to do the same have the choice of reading only the Town-controlled Gazette.

  7. Ron Wrucke on November 7th, 2012 4:23 pm

    Believe me, I totally understand the word “blog”, and I believe that it was used in an accurate manner relative to the content of this site; your views obviously differ; calling The Wave a “newspaper” does not make it one.

    You are entitled to your opinion, but other readers may be interested to know that no less an authoritative source than Google News has certified the Wave as a newspaper. You can read our August story here: http://capecharleswave.com/2012/08/google-certifies-cape-charles-wave-as-local-news-source/

    Google News does not print links to blogs — only authenticated online news sources such as newspapers and the online adjuncts to television news.

    The Wave is the #1 source of news about Cape Charles. To test this, go to Google and click on the NEWS tab at the top of the page. Then type CAPE CHARLES in the search bar. Most of the stories that come up are from the Cape Charles Wave. You will find NO blogs.

    Microsoft BING is currently reviewing the Wave for inclusion as a news source as well. –EDITOR

  8. Deborah Bender on November 8th, 2012 6:55 am

    I for one enjoy reading the Wave. A lot of news in Cape Charles never makes it into the local papers so having the good folks that run the Wave keep us up to date on what is going on around town is really nice. Sure there are negative comments, however there are positive comments too. My suggestion to Ron Wrucke is if you don’t like the Wave don’t read it. If it were not for the Wave a lot of people would be totally in the dark (which is just how the Cape Charles town council likes it) about what is really going on regarding the Old School.
    Thank you for creating this online newspaper!

  9. John C Boytos on November 8th, 2012 8:11 pm

    Ron,
    You are not speaking to a bunch of minions who do not understand how to differentiate between blogs, news, newspapers, and websites. Some people enjoy politics, some enjoy an open forum to speak with other local residents about issues they choose to discuss or voice an opinion. The Wave has become popular because it gives that benefit. Opinion of positive or negative is in the interpretation of the individual reader and not for you to criticize the Wave publisher. If you are offended by the content of the writers then simply delete the site from your browser and don’t read it. Way to go Wave! We love reading all comments and appreciate your efforts in creating this site.