By Mary Alice Russell
The pandemic has upended the tradition of Election Day in Rockbridge County and the rest of the nation.
It’s still officially Nov. 3, but many Americans have already cast their ballots by mail or in person.
In Virginia, the polls will be open on Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
This is the first election in Virginia since Election Day was declared a state holiday in April. Gov. Ralph Northam said in a statement in April the he hopes that making Election Day a state holiday will make it easier for Virginians to vote.
The Rockbridge Report will reporting live voting coverage on Tuesday at 7 and 9:30 p.m. on Comcast channel 18.
If you haven’t voted, here’s an overview of everything you need to know on voting in this year’s key races:
Presidential Election
Americans will decide if President Donald Trump will have another term or if former Vice President Joe Biden will be the 46th U.S. president.
The two had only two of the three scheduled debates this fall. The second scheduled one was cancelled when Pres. Trump refused to participate after his bout with COVID-19 prompted the Commission on Presidential Debates to make it a virtual debate.
The last debate, with the threat of microphones shut off to prevent interruptions, went relatively smoothly. That was in direct contrast to the now infamous first debate.
Moderator Chris Wallace planned for the debate to be about the Supreme Court, COVID-19, the economy, race and violence in American cities, among other topics. Instead, the two nominees insulted and interrupted each other.
Biden went as far as to call Trump a “clown,” while Trump repeatedly said to Biden, “in 47 years you’ve done nothing.”
Usually, debates help Americans decide who they will vote for, but this year many Americans have already made up their mind.
Robert Strong, the William Lyne Wilson Professor in Political Economy at Washington and Lee University and contributor to various news publications, said that most Americans have not changed their mind about who they will vote for.
“There is a really interesting phenomenon that is different than previous presidencies,” Strong said in a Zoom interview, “Usually presidential approval rating goes up and down … Trump has been on a flat line, 40-45% of people supporting him throughout.”
Even though Trump has a unique hold on some Americans, many will vote for Biden, who has a more traditional following and approval rating.
U.S. Senate and House race
Mark Warner is looking to keep his seat in the U.S. Senate, which the Democrat has held since 2009.
Warner, former Virginia governor, and Republican opponent Daniel Gade, an Army veteran turned college professor, had their first debate last week. Warner and Gade debated universal healthcare and COVID-19 policy.
Warner led the race by 13 points, according to a Sept. 24 poll by the Judy Ford Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University.
Virginians in the 6th Congressional District, which includes Rockbridge County, will also choose between two candidates for that seat in the House of Representatives.
Republican Ben Cline is running for his second term. Lexington resident and Democrat Nicholas Betts is looking to take Cline’s seat.
Local Elections
All of the local races for the city of Lexington are uncontested. Mayor Frank Friedman and City Council Members Leslie Straughan and Marylin Alexander will continue to serve the community.
Charles Aligood will take the seat of City Council Member Michelle Hentz, who decided not to run for reelection this year, according to the News Gazette.
Two other citizens, Kate Crossman and Amber Poole were running for Lexington city council, but dropped out of the race for personal reasons, the News Gazette said. The Lexington Registrar said that their names will still appear on the ballot, but voters will receive a supplement explaining that the two women are no longer running.
In Buena Vista, the city is holding a special election to fill the school board seat left open by John Butler. A Rockbridge Report article goes into more detail about candidates Allen L. “Mac” Felts Jr. and E.A.C. “Annie” LePere.
Goshen residents will pick two council members from a field of three candidates. Deborah Bowden and Robert “Bobby” Burke are running for re-election, while Stephen Bickley, Sr. wants to take one of their seats.
Amendments
Virginians will also vote on two amendments to the state’s constitution.
The first question asks if Virginia should establish a redistricting commission, in which citizens and members of the General Assembly would draw congressional and state legislative districts.
The second amendment asks if veterans with a permanent and total disability should receive a tax break on autos.
A story from The Rockbridge Report goes into more detail about the amendments.
Will my vote count?
This has been a difficult year for Americans, but they say they are eager to vote.
A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research says that 54% of voters plan to vote before election day. Another 39% of registered voters plan to vote by mail.
Trump has criticized mail-in voting as potentially fraudulent, but he approves of absentee voting. The Associated Press explains that mail-in voting and absentee ballots that are mailed in are processed in the same way.
“They absolutely are not perfect,” Strong said when asked about the voting mechanisms used in this county, “but the claims being made by Trump, I think, are outrageous and dangerous.”
Many Americans want to know if steps have been taken to protect election systems from other countries after Russia interfered with the 2016 race.
The Associated Press reports that some steps have been taken such as improved communication and increased technical security.
-The Associated Press contributed to this report.