Scott County Democrats

Thank you all so much for your help and support over the past several years - with victory after victory, we’ve proven that Virginia voters, given the choice, prefer results-oriented leaders to politically motivated politicians.

In this year’s election, Virginia was instrumental in changing the direction of this country to reflect the success we’ve had here. No one embodies bipartisan solution-oriented leadership more than Mark Warner, our new U.S. Senator. New congressmen Gerry Connolly, Glenn Nye, and Tom Perriello are all cast in that same mold - they’re going to Washington to get things done for Virginia.

Tom has a solid lead in a close race, and I think he’ll win because of his unparalleled record of service and your grassroots commitment to winning the 5th District, where no one thought Democrats could compete.

What I’m most proud of as your Governor is that we showed that Virginia’s electoral votes can’t be taken for granted in a presidential election. Barack Obama is going to be an excellent President of the United States. I know Barack, and I know that he’s as committed to finding solutions as we are in Virginia - which is one of the reasons why it was so important to him to win here.

We still have much work to do to change Washington, but we now have excellent leadership in place to get the job done. I’m enjoying our success this week even as I focus on the challenges we face in Richmond. Next week I’ll write you again to let you know how you can get involved in making the changes we need here in Virginia.

Warm regards,

Tim Kaine

Although we were disappointed with the results, we must move beyond this campaign and work together to get our country moving again.

It is our sincere hope that you will join us in putting our country first and continue to work to keep our nation safe, free and prosperous.

We urge you to join us in not just congratulating Senator Obama, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together as a nation. Whatever our differences may be, we are all fellow Americans.

We are truly blessed to live in this great country and call ourselves Americans, and we will forever be her loyal servants.

Today, let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth.

With warm gratitude,

Cindy and John McCain

Trevor White, one of the most active of Scott County’s youngest crop of Democrats, has joined the U.S. Navy, leaving for basic training on the morning of November 5. In the days leading up to his departure, Trevor was a very visible and active participant in the campaigns to elect Democratic leaders for our nation.

Trevor’s political activism and his desire to join the Armed Forces both come his deep caring and commitment to both his county and his country.

The Scott County Democratic Commitee joins with Trevor’s family and friends in wishing him God speed, and in praying for his safe return.

The numbers while not final, are very telling, even with some states still out. The Electoral College votes are 338 to 156, with a popular vote lead of 3,793,167. (The individual votes for both candidates are still climbing.)

John McCain has given a gracious and moving concession speech, urging his supporters to work across the political divide, as he pledged that he himself would work with President Elect Obama to meet the challenges still facing the United States.

Indeed, there is some feeling here at Democrat Headquarters that the John McCain who spoke tonight, was not the same John McCain that has been campaigning these last months; that now “Big Mac was back” in truth, not the candidate trying to rally a divisive Republican base, but the John McCain who has shown that he can work with those across the political aisle.

We very much hope that the message of unity that President Elect Obama has put forward will become a reality in the days ahead..

A PDF of unofficial results is available courtesy of the Scott County Virginia Star.

Rick Boucher, the Democrat incumbent running unopposed for the 9th District House Representatives, received 7,345 votes. Former Democratic Governor Mark Warner received 5,226 votes for the U.S. Senate over rival  James Gilmore, also a former Governor, who received 4,238 votes.  The Independent and Independent Green candidates combined received 91 votes.

As expected, Scott County supported the Republican Ticket of McCain-Palin over Obama-Biden, with  President Elect Barack Obama earning roughly 30% of the popular vote in Scott County.  This was not a loss - it is a sucessful statement for positive change that many said could not be made in this area, a statement made possible with the hard work of many volunteers, young and old.

Note: These results are not official. Results are not official until certified by election officials.

IMPORTANT: If you encounter problems in voting, please contact at least one of these numbers for help:

• Virginia State Board of Elections at 1-800-552-9745
• Peter Teigland, Campaign for Change, at 704-575-5662 or 276-494-4115.
• 1-877-462-6608 (CNN Voter helpline)

Less than two hours after polls have opened, voting problems are already being reported in the town of Gate City.  Rita Hughes and Lillie Hughes are stating that they have been denied the right to vote.  The two ladies, both African American, went to their local polling location at Gate City Middle School, along with two of Rita’s sons, Joseph and Damien.  The two sons were allowed to vote, but the women were told their names were not on the list of registered voters.  The women stated that they had voted in last year’s countywide elections.

After the voting officials made some calls, Rita and Lillie were told they would have to re-register and vote in the next election.  The ladies then asked to be given a provisional ballot under state election regulations. The request was denied, as they were told that since their names did not appear on the state list, they were not eligible to vote.

It should be noted that lawsuits involving voter fraud and disenfranchisement are nothing new to this area.  Only two short years ago, former Gate City mayor Charles Dougherty Jr. was found guilty of 13 counts of voter fraud stemming back to the 2004 Gate City Mayoral Election.

Update after being contacted by legal counsel, local officials did allow Rita Hughes and Lillie Hughes to cast provisional ballots in accordance with state law.