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Winner in 99th gets seat quickly WHO VOTES?

February 4, 2008 12:16 am

BY FRANK DELANO

Election officials plan a fast track for the winner of a Feb. 19 special election to take his or her seat in the Virginia House of Delegates.

State Board of Elections Secretary Nancy Rodrigues said the board, with help from the Virginia State Police, hopes to certify the winner of the 99th House District seat at noon Feb. 20.

The certification process, which takes about three weeks in normal elections, will be shortened to 17 hours for the special election, Rodrigues said.

She said the accelerated process responds to "constituent demand" that the seat vacated when former Del. Robert J. Wittman was elected to Congress be filled as soon as possible before the legislature adjourns March 8. Two Lancaster County candidates are seeking the post: Democrat Albert C. Pollard Jr., who held the seat from 2000 to 2006, and Republican Lee Anne Washington, a lawyer and member of the White Stone Town Council.

County electoral boards also will have to work faster than usual after the special election. In ordinary elections, local boards have up to seven days to review vote tallies and send the results to Richmond.

According to Westmoreland Registrar Kris Hicks, the state board has asked local boards to finish their canvasses by 10 a.m. on Feb. 20, when abstracts of the votes will be picked up by state troopers to deliver to Richmond for certification by the state board.

To take the oath of office as a delegate, the winning candidate must also file a final campaign finance report. In typical elections, that report is due 30 days after the election.

The Feb. 19 election will be the fourth in the district since Nov. 6. It will come a week after the Feb. 12 presidential primary.

Westmoreland Registrar Hicks said the proximity of the two election dates has caused her and other registrars in the district to scurry to find voting machines for Feb. 19. Machines used the week before must remain sealed until 15 days after the state board certifies the primary results, she said.

Hicks said some electoral boards in the district will rent voting machines for the special election at $800 each. She is hoping to borrow machines from other localities.

"It all depends on what happens Feb. 12. We may have to go all the way to Southwest Virginia to find them," she said.

"It's going to be fun. I can't wait until 2009. We only have one election then."

Frank Delano: 804/333-3834
Email: fpdelano@gmail.com