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Editorial
Next Tuesday, Nov. 5, is Election Day. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters can cast their ballots at their usual precincts. However, many folks won’t have to bother with this civic duty on that day because they have already done it.
As of Monday morning (Oct. 28), 6,718 people had voted in the Rockbridge area’s three jurisdictions, or 25.9 percent of registered voters. They have been doing it one of two ways – voting early in-person at their registrars’ offices, or mailing in absentee ballots after having requested them.
Early voting seems to be catching on here and across the country. It’s a convenience and a safeguard against something coming up on Election Day that might prevent you from making it to the polls. Followers of both major political parties appear to have embraced the practice.
The fact that more than a fourth of registered voters had cast ballots more than a week before Election Day here is an encouraging sign that voter turnout will be high this year. There seems to be much interest in this year’s presidential election but there are other elections that are drawing interest as well.
Virginians will be electing a U.S. senator and members of Congress – we’ll be electing a member to represent the Sixth District, which stretches south to Roanoke and north to Winchester. Virginians will also answer a ballot question on amending the state constitution to extend certain tax benefits to spouses of soldiers who have died in the line of duty.
Lexington voters will be electing three members of the city’s School Board for the very first time and also a mayor and three members of City Council. Goshen’s voters will be electing two members of Town Council and Glasgow’s voters will be electing three members of Town Council. In Buena Vista, there’s a special election to elect a member of City Council to serve one year of an unexpired term.
As we approach the conclusion of this year’s elections, we want to call attention to the hard work, dedication and diligence of our local elections officials. They are the ones who make possible this exercise in representative democracy that we value so greatly.
We acknowledge the polarization that has divided us as a people and caused such distrust and divisiveness among certain sectors of the population. It is our belief that our democracy is in good hands and that we can trust the results when they come in next week.
It is our hope that, whatever the outcome in any of the contested races, that all of us can be accepting of the results so we can move forward as a community and a nation.
For those who have not yet voted – we encourage you to do so. Early voting at registrars’ offices continues through this Saturday, Nov. 2. Or, you can follow the ages-old practice of casting a ballot on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5.
