Leesburg Votes: Strong Turnout at Ida Lee

Voter turnout is fairly strong in Leesburg, local officials noted this morning.

Councilman Tom Dunn, who is running for re-election, said he had been out since 2 a.m.

“I think that most places I’ve been the turnout has been pretty heavy,” Dunn said, adding that around 8:30 a.m. Balls Bluff Elementary School had seen about 600 people come through.

“Obviously, as the day goes on it’s going to keep picking up," Dunn said. "I think the turnout is great and everybody is in a good mood.”

At least three Leesburg Town Council candidates were found outside of the Ida Lee Park Recreation Center, 501- West Leesburg, late Tuesday morning. Many of them had been greeting voters and passing out sample ballots and last minute literature as early as 5:30 a.m.

“We’ve had a lot of people through,” said candidate Jim Sisley, who said there was a long line out of the door when he arrived just before 6 a.m.

Inside Ida Lee, Chief Election Officer Robet Merhaut said that there had been 1,048 voters as of 11:30 a.m. Usually, the precinct is very strong, he said, with a turnout near 80 to 85 percent.

“We have over 400 that have done absentee ballots so we’re at almost 1500 and we have 2200 voters in this precinct,” Merhaut said. “So that’s pretty strong and we still have a good amount of the day left.”

Merhaut said he anticipated another surge around lunchtime and is expecting a lot of people to come through after 4 o’clock.

“This election will be decided over hundreds of votes, not tens of thousands,” Merhaut said. “It’s real important to get out and vote for your candidate.”

“I think it’s a fabulous process. I’ll just put it that way," Sisley said. "The town elections are non-partisan and its funny because you’ve got people on both sides, and the independents, here and there’s really a very positive spirit between everybody.”

Town Council candidate S. Ann Robinson said she arrived at Ida Lee around 5:30 a.m. Everyone has been in such a good mood, she said, and there has been a lot of support.

“Everyone is so friendly, so nice and so pleasant,” she said. “I have heard a lot of positive remarks from people and that’s very nice, of course, always.”