Mid-day Voting Remains Steady at Local Precincts

Loudoun County High School's Chief Election Officer Dave Labuha reported there had been 677 voters as of 12:15 p.m. 

“Things have been going smoothly," Labuha said. "From 6 to 7 a.m. it was the busiest time so far. Since then it has been steady, but not overwhelming."

George Karanikas, a 54-year-old registered Republican who voted down the party line, said his most important issue this election year was job security. The negative campaigns were “pretty vicious on both sides” on the national level, he said. 

Raquel and Dino Bernales, mid-40’s, are registered Democrats who voted down their party line. Raquel Bernales said that women’s issues were important, especially choice. They did not attend any political rallies but “would have liked to have seen Bill Clinton at a recent rally in Bristow,” Raquel Bernales said.

Susan, 64, an Independent voter, said she had voted a split ticket this year as she was “not happy with anybody. The two - party system has failed us,” she said.

At C.S. Monroe Technology Center, mid-day voting also appeared to be slow but steady. Chief Election Officer Janice Webb said they had 700 voters by 12:45 p.m. 

“People were waiting in line when we first opened at 6 a.m.," Webb said. "We had about 100 people in the first half hour. Since then it has been steady."

Christine Howard, 55, is an Independent who voted for the Democratic ticket. She said that women’s issues and choices were important to her.

Regarding the local elections, she voted for Mayor Kristen Umstattd because, “I would like to keep the town of Leesburg small,” Howard said.

Mana Gonzales has lived in Leesburg for 20 years and is also an Independent voter. She said this election cycle was a big turnoff to her as she was “inundated with tv ads and phone calls. 

"This was the worst year for ads and phone calls, people were calling at all times of the day asking for every family member, even ones that were not old enough to vote,” Gonzales said. She also experienced a lot of door to door visits, sometimes 2 to 3 times a day.

On a local level, Gonzales also voted for Mayor Umstattd. 

“I love Leesburg. I like the small town feel it has even despite the growth," Gonzales said, adding that her family enjoys the parades and First Friday events.

Erin Schnell, 46, is a registered Democrat who switched at the last minute and decided to vote for Gov. Romney. She did vote for the democrats on the rest of the ballot, she said. 

“Healthcare is a big issue to me and I believe the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction," Schnell said. "My husband works in healthcare so I have seen it first hand. The economy is the biggest problem we are facing."