Find us on Facebook
Follow us on TwitterDANVILLE/PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY BLOG: & SLIDESHOW
Denice Thibodeau / Register & Bee
Ruth Pearson voted at G.L.H. Johnson Elementary on Tuesday afternoon, but was able to vote from her car, thanks to the portability of modern voting machines that allow people with handicaps to avoid the lines.
Published: November 4, 2008
Updated: November 4, 2008
Check back throughout Election Day, Tuesday, November 4, for Photographs, Impressions, Observations, Waiting Lines, Comments from Voters and Photos from Danville, Pittsylvania County: Reidsville, Eden, Madison, Rockingham County voting precincts. USE THE READER COMMENT FEATURE TO ADD YOUR OWN THOUGHTS.
>>VIEW SLIDESHOW updated throughout day.
Posted at 11:29 p.m. By SARAH ARKIN Absentee ballots will determine the outcome of the 5th District race. CNN is reporting the following numbers with 98 percent of the votes counted at 11:28 p.m. Perriello: 155,706 Goode: 153,863 In the city of Danville Perriello won 11,460 votes to Goode’s 8,317. The Perriello campaign just issued this statement: “We are confident that when all the votes are counted, we will maintain our lead and there will be a change in leadership in the 5th district. People have responded to our message of economic solutions and reviving a culture of service in Washington. I am so grateful for everyone who made this historic campaign possible and for all the fifth district voters who have put their trust in me.“ Our staff photographer Traci White is with the Goode campaign in Moneta and said she hasn’t been able to get a statement from Goode, who’s in a private room or any of his staff. She said it’s very quiet there, and people are just kind of “holding their breaths.“ Posted at 10:44 p.m. By SARAH ARKIN This just in from the Associated Press: “Obama becomes first Democrat to win Virginia in a presidential election since LBJ in 1964.“ Posted at 10:29 p.m. By SARAH ARKIN The Associated Press now says the race for the 5th District Congressional seat is too close to call and they will wait until every vote has been counted. According to the Virginia State Board of Election’s website, we’re waiting on five precincts from Mecklenburg County. Posted at 10:19 p.m. By SARAH ARKIN Associated Press is in the process of reviewing their numbers in the 5th district race. Bernard just got off the phone with the wire service who said they’ll be making another statement shortly. Posted at 9:35 p.m. By DON WEBB The Perriello campaign issued this statement in response to the Associated Press calling Virginia 5th district race for Rep. Virgil Goode. “We’re confident that Tom Perriello has gained the support of a huge number of people across the district. At this point, the vote totals show Perriello up by more than 2,000 votes with dozens of precincts yet to be reported. This race is too close to call. We need to make sure the voice of every 5th district citizen is heard.“ Checking the most recent results on the Virginia Board of Elections shows that Perriello was up by 3,000 at 10 p.m. Posted at 9:21 p.m. By SARAH ARKIN The associated press is reporting that Goode has been elected for his seventh term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Posted at 8:49 p.m. By SARAH ARKIN Bernard is reporting these results for Caswell County: For U.S. Senate Hagan leads Dole with 3,325 votes to Dole’s 1,869 with 85% of the Caswell precincts reporting. Obama has 3,216 votes compared to McCain’s 2,144. Posted at 8:17 p.m. By SARAH ARKIN Unofficial Pittsylvania County results are as follows for 26 of 30 precincts. McCain has won 14,935 votes compared to Obama’s 8,531. Looks like Warner beat Gilmore with 13,161 votes compared to 9,159. Congressman Goode beat Perriello with 14,244 votes to 8,366. Teresa Easley will likely be the county’s next treasurer with 9,699 votes to Kate Berger’s 9,195 and Chad Miller’s 3,202. Posted at 8:10 p.m. By SARAH ARKIN Denice just called in with the Danville results, which have shaded city blue. About 1,000 absentee votes still have to be counted and all results at this point are unofficial, but here’s what she’s reporting right now: Danville voters elected Obama with 10,764 votes compared to 7,411 for McCain. Benefitting from a split ballot Warner trounced Gilmore for a seat in the Senate with 12,584 votes to Gilmore’s 4,489. In the 5th District Congressional race Perriello beat Goode with 10,171 votes compared to 7,299 for Goode. It also looks like Lynwood Barbour will be the next city treasurer having won 7,983 votes. David Giffen pulled in 5,407 and Jackie Wilson garnered 2,309 Posted at 7:55 p.m. By SARAH ARKIN In other news, here’s what we’re getting from the Associated Press: John McCain has picked up a total of 16 Electoral College votes with 8 each from Kentucky and South Carolina. Obama is trailing with 3 electoral votes from Vermont. Bernard was finally able to log onto the State Board of Election website which we imagine is totally overwhelmed and here’s what we’ve got from Danville and Pittsylvania precints on the presidential race. Ballou Park went for Obama with 988 votes to McCain’s 955. Obama also won Doyle Thomas Park with 463 votes to McCain’s 20 and Sutherlin Mansion voters elected Obama with 366 votes versus 210 votes for McCain. Obama won Langston School precint with 528 votes compaired to 33 votes for McCain. Ward 6 gave Obama 620 votes and McCain 62. Ward 7 Obama garnered 1,071 votes while McCain mustered 151 votes. Ward 8 has given Obama 534 votes and awarded 422 to McCain. With 14 of 18 precints reporting Obama has 9,085 votes and McCain 4,925 Bernard says he hasn’t seen a Democratic presidential candidate do this well in a long time. Posted at 7:53 p.m. By SARAH ARKIN Denice is down at the clerk of court’s office collecting results. She reported that the race for city treasurer is pretty close between Lynwood Barbour and David Giffen. She said it also looked like Obama was slightly ahead as was Perriello in the race for the fifth district. Posted at 7:49 p.m. By SARAH ARKIN Ballou Park was practically empty when I arrived at about 6:30 p.m. Poll workers said the day was crazy, but they suspected that people got overly worried about being able to vote, accounting for the droves first thing in the morning. Campaigners were still on hand, handing out soggy information on their candidates. Posted at 7:05 p.m. By JOHN CRANE No line reported at Twin Springs precinct closed at 7 p.m. Voting there never picked backed up the way it was this morning, said precinct chief Merlon Jefferson. Kate Berger and Chad Miller were there Shortly before 7 p.m., the precinct reported 2,155 people out of about 3,300 registered voters. A lot of people had voted absentee, Jefferson said. No line reported at Twin Springs precinct closed at 7 p.m. Voting there never picked backed up the way it was this morning, said precinct chief Merlon Jefferson. Kate Berger and Chad Miller were there Shortly before 7 p.m., the precinct reported 2,155 people out of about 3,300 registered voters. A lot of people had voted absentee, Jefferson said. Posted at 6:45 p.m. by DENICE THIBODEAU It’s 15 minutes prior to the close of all polls, but the precinct poll at American Legion Post 325 has only a handful of voters. Precinct officials say voting has been like this throughout the afternoon, as opposed to the crush of voters seen this morning, with wait times then lasting nearly 90 minutes. As of 6:45 p.m., 1,666 of 2,491 registered voters had cast ballots in person today. Posted at 5:37 p.m. by Traci White It’s after 5 p.m., but only a few voters are in line to cast their ballots at Coates Recreational Center, one of the largest voting precincts in the city. Eugene Moorefield, precinct chief, said 1,247 voters have cast ballots in person today. Another 232 voted via absentee ballots. The precinct has 2,051 registered voters. Moorefield said the use of curbside voting today was the highest that he has seen in his 20 years as an election official. Twenty-four voters cast ballots at curbside. There is plenty of time left to vote, but the rain has begun to fall harder. Polls close at 7 p.m. Posted at 2:57 p.m. by Denice Thibodeau Volunteer Thomas Dee said there had been a steady progression of voters all day at American Legion Post 325. “We have never been without someone at the tables,” Dee said at 2 p.m. Dee also said some voters told him it took them four trips to the precinct to find a parking space and come in to vote. The rain is coming down harder now, and people don’t want to stop and talk – but none of those talked to at the American Legion said they were first-time voters. Posted at 2:52 p.m. by Denice Thibodeau Otis Hoskins stood in the drizzling rain outside I.W. Taylor Elementary School at , handing out material encouraging voters to elect Lynwood Barbour for Danville treasurer. “This is the biggest turnout I’ve ever seen here,” Hoskins said. “Danville is going to set a record today.” Hoskins said when he arrived at 6 a.m., there were 200 to 300 people lined up to vote. “Things have slowed down now, but they’ll pick up again when shifts changes at about 4.” Fran Layton, an attorney who said she was there “making sure what happened in 2000 doesn’t happen here.” She said more than 1,200 voters had already been through as of 1:30 p.m., and it had been a “smooth, problem-free day.” Layton said she first worked on a political campaign in the 1960s, when John F. Kennedy was running; she said the 2008 campaign had really galvanized voters. “I haven’t seen this kind of excitement since the 60s,” Layton said. Posted at 2:47 p.m. by Denice Thibodeau Things had calmed down some at the precincts shortly after 1 p.m. Volunteer Melinda Marshall said almost half the voters assigned to G.L.H. Johnson Elementary had already voted – 672 out of 1,489 (44.9 percent) as of 1:10 p.m. Another volunteer at Johnson said even though the line stretched down the hall at 6 a.m., waiting time was less than a half-hour (said people coming out reported 20- to 27-minute waits). Volunteer Diane Shelton said things had slowed down, but been steady. Despite helping voters for seven hours, Shelton was still cheerful, reporting that the precinct “hadn’t run into any hitches yet.” Watched the drill for handicapped voters being allowed to vote from their cars. Two volunteers unplugged one machine and carried the laptop-sized machine out to the Ruth Pearson’s vehicle, where she cast her ballot. Walking back into the building, volunteer Dave Torborg noted, “This is one big advantage over those big, old clunky things.” Volunteer Gaye Barkley agreed, adding wheeling one of the old machines out to a car would have been impossible. The volunteers were ready for any voter who showed up inappropriately dressed (new law says voters can’t wear anything that advertises their election choices). An assortment of vests, hats and scarves were available for voters to use to cover up infractions. Posted at 2:30 p.m. by JOHN CRANE Brosville Elementary School About 2:30 p.m. Voters trickled in one or two at a time here. Precinct Captain Ann M. Deering anticipates the afterwork rush between 5 and 7 p.m. More than half of the precinct’s 1,219 registered voters have cast their ballots, Deering said. Like at Twin Springs, the county treasurer options were left off the precinct’s three electronic voting machines. Three or four people had voted on the machines before the mixup was fixed, but officials were able to alert them before they left. They cast paper ballots for the treasurer candidates. Turnout has been “unusually high,“ Deering said. Posted at 1:15 p.m. by JOHN CRANE Twin Springs Elementary School The long morning lines had dwindled down to about eight or nine people by the early afternoon at Twin Springs. Election official Merlon Jefferson said 1,470 registered voters - out of about 3,300 in the precinct - had made their choices just after 1 p.m. He said he expects to see from 2,500 to 2,700 by the end of the day at 7 p.m. There were no major mechanical problems among the station’s seven electronic voting machines. Early in the morning, however, ballots appeared on the screens without the county treasurer candidates. One person had voted before the problem was solved, Jefferson said. The morning wait was an hour at the most, he said. “We moved them pretty fast,“ Jefferson said. Posted at 12:46 p.m. by SARAH ARKIN Lines were also long at the American Legion Post 325 around 10:30 a.m., particularly for people whose last names start with letters A-J. Kathleen Sparks said she came in voted within a few minutes, but waited 45 minutes for her sister in the A-J category. John Robinson was back at the post for the second time after arriving at 8:30 a.m. to find the line out the door into the parking lot (after snaking through the room). Posted at 12:15 p.m. by JOHN CRANE At Ringgold Fire & Rescue Station Ringgold voter Linda Cadieux says she did not have to wait to vote and she was at the station for about 15 minutes. About 20 people waited in two lines to vote while election official Virginia Behrend gave instructions to entering voters just inside the door. The early morning wait time was about an hour, said Ringgold Fire Chief Mike Neal. An African-American election official named John McCain said people have given him grief over his name, but he’s not changing it. He declined to reveal who he voted for. McCain said about 45 percent of the precinct’s 2,500 registered voters had cast their ballots by lunchtime. Ringgold voter Stephanie Wilson said this is the first time she’s voted in five years, and her husband had bugged her to vote this year because having an African-American presidential candidate is unusual. Two of the polling station’s seven machines were shut down due to mechanical problems. Posted at 12:13 p.m. by SARAH ARKIN Lines are thinning out at some polling stations but still snaking around rooms at others. Precinct 7 on North Main Street seems to have suffered the most major glitch. People working the polls say by 5:30 a.m. there were at least 100 people lined up around the block. Until about 9:30 the scene was described as “zoo”, despite the fact that there were two extra people and one extra machine this year. At 10 a.m. when I was there people said things had calmed down but the gymnasium at Woodrow Wilson was still packed. Poll workers and independent election monitors say a couple of things contributed to the problem. There are about 2,000 registered voters in the precinct, according to the registrars office, and there was only one ream of paper listing all the voters, meaning only one person could check in at a time. To make matters worse, all four of the voting machines broke down, but only for a short time said Poll worker Delilah Magnum. Additionally, there were a lot of curbside voters—that is, disabled voters to whom election officials can bring ballots. Finally, after a few hours, the precinct captain ‘split the book’—and sent some of the voters to other precincts to vote where there were shorter lines. Woodrow Wilson principal Jocelyn Fitzgerald said she was “amazed at the number of voters.“ On her way to vote with the aid of a walker, 94 year old Ruby Jones, who has voted in every election since she was 18 said she had “never seen such excitement.“ Posted at 11:00 a.m. by BERNARD BAKER Coates Recreation Center It’s taking about one to hour to vote as 545 people have voted, said Eugene F. Moorefield, precinct chief. Lines wrapped through the building and out into the parking lot. This was the second time Glen Davis came to vote. he said long lines this morning and turned his truck around. “I’m going to stick it out this time,“ Davis said. Bill Dyer has voted at Coates for years. Dyer joked that a lot of the people who waited in line to vote will have to wait in line Wednesday at the doctor’s office. Moorefield said two people were in line at 4:45 a.m. The line ran through the parking lot when the doors opened at 6 a.m. Coates has 2,051 registered voters and about 200 already voted absentee Posted at 10:35 a.m. by BERNARD BAKER Park Avenue School Election official Penny McDaniel Jones said 843 people had voted out of 2,361 registered. They had 200 people vote for 7 a.m. “I’ve never seen it like this before in my life,“ she said. Chief Election Official Franklin Barkley agreed. He pointed out that lines have been moving smoothly. Phyllis Marable, 66, was not going to miss this election. “I think it’s time for a change.“ Posted at 10:32 a.m.: by GRACIE GUNNELL News from Brosville - Polling precinct packed at 8am… Lined around the walls.. I left.. I will go back and vote after work today.. Not your normal voter turn out at Brosville. Usually at Brosville on election day I am normally voter 100 or so… Not today…. Posted at 9:24 a.m. by BERNARD BAKER Election official Nancy Cheney said 400 people had voted at Cedarbrook. “It’s been so busy, I haven’t been able to catch my breath.“
Advertisement
Reader Reactions
I really wish new people would post here, I am truly afraid and disappointed if this is the mindset of this community. I thank God everyday my parents made me leave Danville and experience the World because it has taught me tolerance and understanding of people and things that are unlike myself. We will fail as a nation as long as we allow our differences to be the determining factor of our allegiance. Danville was the only blue spot on the electoral map in a 75 mile radius in this part of VA. Congrats Danville for getting your citizens out to vote for Change something this city has need for a long time, now next time make it transcend into the local politics and get some “qualified” people on the city council, for starters get someone young with a social economics background that can give u some insight into bringing next generation high paying jobs to the community versus retail. THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX!!! it will be your only salvation.
3mommy—if your rheteric is an example of how Obama will rule——God help us all! Only the educated elite will have a voice! Not even your precious poor will have a voice under such a dictatorship of the educated elite! Again, God help us all!
Here is a question: Can a Christian agree to abortion? On second thought here is another: If one claims to be a Christian; would abortion be apart of their beliefs and even thoughts? I for one do not believe in abortion. I am a Christian and I know God will show His wrath upon those who do. Please pray for America because after this election we as a whole are going to need it.
I will not specifically state who I am addressing here, but those that read it will know who I am talking to.
1 - There are One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices. 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
2 - This does not include the Federal Reserve Board which was created by Congress, nor does it include the lobbyists or special interests.
3 - It’s these 545 people that have put this country in the position it is in. The President can only propose a budget, he can’t force congress to accept it. It’s the Speaker of the house and the house members who approve a budget, the president CAN veto it, but they can still pass it over his veto.
4 - To blame the President for the mess this country is in is not being very realistic.
5 - As to the question of Obama’s religion, he was a member of the Trinity United Church of Christ, under the “rule” of the Rev Jeremiah Wright, who by the way has retired. This churches doctrine was that of Black Liberation Theology. There are some that say this Theology has Marxist roots. I am not a theologian, but from what I have read on the subject, it is a racist doctrine. So, what does Obama believe? I don’t know, but how did he attend that church for 20 years, consider Rev. Wright his mentor, and NOT know what kind of doctrine he preached?
And, I am SICK TO DEATH of the “Race” issue. I don’t care if Obama is black or white or anything else for that matter. That is NOT my problem with him. But, let me ask this question, What would have happened to a “white man” if he had hung an effigy of Obama from his house? Would that man have been allowed to leave it? Would he have been arrested for a “Hate Crime”? Or, would he have been left alone to decide to take it down on his own?
I for 1 am totally disgusted with this entire election. I will be glad when it is over. I personally think that we should vote the entire 545 people OUT OF WASHINGTON and start over from scratch. I know that sounds ridiclious, but then hasn’t this entire election, with all it’s millions of dollars being spent been ridiclious. I can’t help but think about something I once heard, “why would a person spend millions of dollars to get a job that pays less than 1/2 a million”.
source: an email
Obama/Biden vs
McCain/Palin, what if things were switched around?.....think about it.
Would the country’s
collective point of view be different? Could racism be the culprit?
Ponder the
following:
What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the
stage, including a three month old infant
and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?
What if John McCain was a
former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama
finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if
McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?
What if
Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe disfiguring car accident, when she no longer
measured up to his standards?
What if Obama had met his second wife
in a bar and had a long affair while he
was still married?
What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only
became addicted to pain killers but also
acquired them illegally through her charitable
organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from
Harvard?
What if Obama had been a member of the Keating
Five?
(The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of
corruption in 1989, igniting a major
political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the
late 1980s and early 1990s.)
What if McCain was a charismatic,
eloquent speaker?
What if Obama couldn’t read from a
teleprompter?
What if Obama was the o ne who had military
experience that included discipline
problems and a record of crashing seven planes? And was never given a
command position.
What if Obama was the one who was known to
display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management
problem?
What if Michelle Obama’s family had made their money from
beer distribution?
What if the Obamas had adopted a white
child?
You could easily add to this list. If these questions
reflected reality, do you really believe
the election numbers would be as close as they are?
This is what
racism does. It covers up,
rationalizes and minimizes positive qual
ities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another
when there is a color difference.
Educational
Background:
Barack Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political
Science with a Specialization in
International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum
Laude
Joseph Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and
B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris
Doctor (J.D.)
vs.
John McCain:
United States Naval
Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899
Sarah Palin:
Hawaii Pacific
University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general
study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters -
journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of
Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism
Education isn’t
everything, but this is about the two highest offices in the land as well as our standing in the world. You
make the
call.
PBJ: I will only address some of your comments as I have very little respect for people who obviously do not know the facts.
First of all I never said the words “yall white folks” Let’s go ahead and clear that up
Second, Obama is Christian: Say it with me “He is not a MUSLIM”
In terms of Clinton and Bush, please spare me any comparison. Clinton was not perfect as Obama, if elected, will not be either. But to glaze over Bush’s mishaps…. I have no words for.
To you both: The fact you are obviously people who love your country, why would you want to waste trillions on a war where people’s children are dying FOR NO REASON!! You claim it is for our freedom, but is it really? His two daughters are sitting real pretty while somebody’s child is gone. And for what???!!! The war is not a result of 911..It has nothing to do with it. There were no weapons, people. Tying it in, Obama’s alliances have been nothing compared to Bush’s. The Texas Oilmen, folks, have far more personal relationships than you give them credit for. And Bush gives you one little incentive stimulus check and the world is made of flowers?? I am sorry it is nothing that Bush can do for me and McCain either. But I will tell you that it is very sad to see that a decent man with a Harvard education can be the most excellent role model and have this country’s best interest in mind and still be passed over because he is Black. I mean can you please look at the integrity and morals of John McCain? Please do not get me started.
Or maybe you can lookup the real story on this war hero. And Sexy Sarah Palin Pu-lease!!!! Wait I am sure that Sarah is a nice person on the one on one side of things but she is as dumb as a peacock. I mean seriously she has not done a good job for Alaska, she is as crooked as they come and people in her own state do not like her or trust her. You guys see a white woman in a suit with a title, and thing cha-ching!!! Automatic representation…
(Major Sidebar to that: How can you even indulge John McCain’s decision as her for a VEEP when it is OBVIOUS he picked her to get votes and attention? He did not vet her very well and she is a complete embarrassment. For example, she was up there talking to a Canadian comedian thinking it was a French politician. And if McCain keels over, God helps us all. She’s going to “ answer the phone @ 2 in the morning???”
And when she sits down to do interviews, she is not knowledgeable about anything I mean Katie Couric was completely blown with her. Even the republicans I know are disgusted with her. She could not even name any Supreme Court cases. America needs a new logic and a new brain. No offense, but it appears that neither of you have much education. I really wish you would jump on the facts and not the bandwagons.
I have decided that I cannot fight the war of ignorance with two people who are blinded by color. You claim it is not, but it so is. Look at some comparisons. It is about race, you guys…. so Happy Struggling, guys!!! You must L-L-L-Like It.”
and speaking of degrees ....
I’s a got som’n fuh ya…marse davidl check my next post
I is only trying to be helpful.
iamannillusion,
Sometimes it’s a simple spelling mistake.
ar·ro·gance n.
The state or quality of being arrogant; overbearing pride.
If you would like to correct grammar or spelling become a teacher.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion and adolescent criticism of a misspelled word is not conducive to open dialogue.
Since you’re an illusion - it doesn’t matter anyway.
ILLUSION: EXCUSE ME FOR PUSHING TO MANY O’S! I’M GLAD YOU ARE PAYING ATTENTION!!
OBAMA IS A PROTESTANT CHRISTIAN…I AM NOT EXACTLY SURE OF THE HISTORY OF THE RELIGION BUT I BELIEVE THAT IT IS ALSO IN THE SAME CATEGORY OF THE MORMON FAITH. I DO NOT LIKE TO REFER TO ANYONE’S CHRISTIANITY. I AM ONLY RESPONDING TO THE COMMENT. THE MORMAN FAITH IS DESCRIBED TO BELIEVE IN THE BOOK OF MORMON, A SACRED TEXT THAT IS BELIEVED TO BE “ANOTHER TESTAMENT OF JESUS CHRIST” I BELIEVE IN THE KING JAMES BIBLE AND THIS IS WHAT I WAS RAISED TO BELIEVE, ALONG WITH SO MANY OTHER AMERICANS IN THIS COUNTRY. I WILL PUT MY HAND ON THE BIBLE AND I WILL LIVE MY LIFE FOR THE LORD, JESUS CHRIST. THE AMERICAN FLAG STANDS FOR OUR COUNTRY AND I SHALL NOT BURN IT OR DISRESPECT IT IN ANY WAY!
Advertisement