By Elizabeth Bell
The votes are still being tallied in many contested races around the state, but many of seats on the ballot in Rockbridge County were decided weeks ago, simply because only one candidate ran.
Nine local races had one candidate or no candidate running for office in Tuesday’s election in Rockbridge County.
In the 2019 and 2018 elections, 75% of the races in Rockbridge County have been uncontested, which is the highest percentage in over a decade, according to data provided by the county voter registrar.
Across the country, unopposed elections are on the rise, according to a Rice University study. About 60% of elections for mayor had only one candidate in 2016. Check out this graph for more information on election trends in Rockbridge County.
The number of uncontested races is higher in small towns than in big cities, the study said. In small towns, 79% of elections are unopposed, compared to only 15% in the biggest cities.
“Small towns don’t pay elected officials as much, and with a lack of party support and the extensive amount of work it takes, there’s less incentive to run,” said Mark Rush, a politics professor at Washington and Lee University.
In Rockbridge County, one candidate appeared on the ballot for commonwealth’s attorney, sheriff, two seats on the school board, and commissioner of revenue.
No candidates appeared on the ballot for mayor of Glasgow, for a seat on the school board in Natural Bridge, or for two seats on the Natural Bridge Soil and Water Conservation Board.
Commonwealth’s Attorney
Jared Moon, the Republican interim incumbent, was elected commonwealth’s attorney for Rockbridge County and Lexington.
He was sworn in as interim commonwealth’s attorney in March, after Chris Billias was appointed as a general district judge. Moon had served as Billias’ chief deputy since 2016.
Moon said during his term, he plans to continue emphasizing crimes against children, seeking long sentences for distributors of drugs and protecting victims of domestic violence.
Sheriff
Steve Funkhouser was elected sheriff of Rockbridge County. He was the only candidate running, but he isn’t the incumbent.
Funkhouser previously served as a lieutenant in the sheriff’s department, where he has worked since 1996. He was a Major in the Virginia Army National Guard and graduated from Radford University.
Chris Blalock did not run for re-election, after serving eight years as Rockbridge County Sheriff.