Friday, May 10, 2013
Democratic gubernatorial candidate laid out platform at George Mason's Arlington campus.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe said Thursday he would push to reform the state's Standards of Learning, or SOL, tests if he is elected in November. "The current, once-a-year, high-stakes, multiple-choice testing isn't working for students, parents or teachers," he told a crowd of more than 300 people at George Mason University's Arlington campus, to rousing applause. Under the current system, a fifth-grade teacher who raises a child from a first-grade reading level to a fourth-grade reading level is considered a failure, he said. Teachers who want to break up the test into smaller portions, or test at different levels based on student achievement should be encouraged, he said. McAuliffe also said he would establish a "…
Thursday, May 9, 2013
ABC News: About half as many Virginians vote in gubernatorial elections as in presidential years.
Anyone familiar with Terry McAuliffe knows he can tell a good story. The one he told Thursday in Arlington, at George Mason's campus as he was wrapping up a five-day tour of the state, was about this past November. It was Election Day. McAuliffe, at the request of the campaigns of Barack Obama and Tim Kaine, was asked to head to a polling station in Henrico County, where voters were still waiting in a long line as darkness fell. He said he went there and handed out coffee, hot chocolate and hand warmers. And everyone got to vote. And then he asked everyone in the room to mobilize for this year's election. [McAuliffe: Reform Virginia's Standards of Learning Tests] Turnout, often, is key. But now more than ever that isn't lost on Northern …
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The Virginia Republican Party will nominate its candidates during a convention in two weeks, and some experts have weighed in on the system.
When Virginia’s Republican Party made a last-minute decision to nominate candidates for the 2013 election in a convention instead of a primary, as originally planned, it prompted Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling to withdraw his name from the race for governor. The move made the especially conservative Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia’s current attorney general, the GOP’s de facto nominee for governor. He's expected to be officially nominated during the Virginia Republican Convention on May 17 and 18 in Richmond. (See our guide to the convention right here.) See Also: Poll: Does the Virginia GOP Convention Represent True Democracy? Bolling said he dropped out of the race because he didn’t agree with the convention system, arguing that it made the nomination …
Laurie DiRocco, Carey Sienicki and Howard Springsteen will all begin another two-year term July 1.
For the three candidates who earned another term on the Vienna Town Council in Tuesday's election, the voter turnout — higher than the town has seen in four years — was affirmation residents are happy with the direction the town is heading, they told Patch hours after polls closed. Laurie DiRocco, Carey Sienicki and Howard Springsteen were all elected to start another term July 1, defeating fellow candidate Ryan Thomas. Read: Vienna Town Council Elections Results: Incumbents Keep Seats "It's confirmation we're doing a good job," Sienicki told Patch. "Thanks to all Vienna voters for their confidence." The election, which drew 1,017 voters to the polls in person or via absentee ballot, was the first contested election since 2011. "It shows …
Turnout on Tuesday was the highest in a town election since 2009.
Voters gave three Vienna council members another two years in Tuesday's town elections. Laurie DiRocco, Carey Sienicki and Howard Springsteen earned the most votes as polls closed on this year's race, edging a fourth candidate, Ryan Thomas. Read: Vienna Town Council Candidates Reflect on 2013 Race DiRocco led all candidates with 806 votes. Sienicki and Springsteen followed with 710 and 708, respectively; Thomas earned 440 votes, according to early returns released by the Fairfax County Office of Elections. The council members will begin their new terms July 1. Despite the rain, voter turnout was the highest of any town election since 2009, according to data from the Town of Vienna: 8.9 percent of the town's 11,084 registered voters — or …
Voters trickled in despite the rain Tuesday morning; polls open until 7 p.m. at the Community Center.
Despite increasingly heavy rain Monday morning, voter turnout for the 2013 Vienna Town Council elections wasn't any slower than in years past. As of 9:05 a.m., 145 voters had cast ballots at the Vienna Community Center — a number that wasn't breaking any records but was certainly in line with years past, election workers said. "It's not unusual," one worker said. In last year's elections, about 4.97 percent of Vienna's 11,218 active registered voters — around 558 people — cast ballots. The average turnout over the past five elections is 7.96 percent of the town's active registered voters, Public Information Officer Kirstyn Barr told Patch. The highest turnout in that time was in 2009, when the town saw a 13.6 percent voter turnout. The …
Four candidates are running for three open seats on Vienna's Town Council.
Voters will head to the polls Tuesday to choose three of four candidates running for open seats on the Vienna Town Council. Vienna Town Council elections 2013 Elections are held every other year for three of the council's six seats. On even-numbered years, the mayor's seat is also on the ballot. Council members serve two-year terms, which begin July 1. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St SE. All registered voters should vote at this location. Patch will be updating polling numbers throughout the day. This year, three incumbents and one newcomer are seeking seats: (follow the links for more on each candidate): Typically, the race sees low voter turnout —in last year's elections, about 4…
Sunday, May 5, 2013
The Republican Party in Virginia decided to have a primary in 2013, but later changed its mind.
Virginia’s Republican Party annual convention is set for May 17 and 18, and delegates from around the state will select nominees for Lt. Governor and Attorney General. GOP officials have gone back and forth in recent years on whether to host a convention or conduct an open primary. In 2011, GOP officials had decided to hold a primary in 2013, but a group of newly elected members of the Commonwealth's GOP central committee changed course in 2012 and switched to a closed convention. The switch to a convention saves local governments and the state money — primaries are paid for with state and local dollars, but convention costs come directly from the Virginia GOP’s funds. It was the announcement of plans for a 2013 convention that drove Lt. …
Saturday, May 4, 2013
The GOP's state convention in Richmond is two weeks away. Here's what you need to know.
Virginia’s Republican Party will convene in Richmond on May 17 and 18 for its annual convention, where delegates from around the state will elect nominees for Lt. Governor and Attorney General. The Commonwealth’s GOP central committee voted 47-31 in June 2012 to switch the nomination system from an open primary to a closed convention of credentialed representatives. GOP officials had decided in 2011 to hold a primary in 2013, but a group of newly elected members on the committee reversed the decision that June, much to the dismay of some party members who think it makes the process too insular. In 2009, Gov. Bob McDonnell, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli were nominated during a convention process. Whereas …
Friday, May 3, 2013
The GOP's state convention in Richmond is two weeks away. Here's what you need to know.
Virginia’s Republican Party will convene in Richmond on May 17 and 18 for its annual convention, where delegates from around the state will elect nominees for Lt. Governor and Attorney General. The Commonwealth’s GOP central committee voted 47-31 in June 2012 to switch the nomination system from an open primary to a closed convention of credentialed representatives. GOP officials had decided in 2011 to hold a primary in 2013, but a group of newly elected members on the committee reversed the decision that June, much to the dismay of some party members who think it makes the process too insular. In 2009, Gov. Bob McDonnell, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli were nominated during a convention process. Whereas …
amajorpain
6:25 pm on Saturday, May 18, 2013
... To the guy with the follow-up comment? Nailed it. Ding ding ding. You are correct sir. Somebody has to push back on these fools or else our illustrious, potentatic (look it up) gummet (use your imagination) will grow and grow and grow until we can't hold the fat slobs up any longer and we will all get crushed underneath the weight of jabba the gummet. (obtw, it would be nice if we could have … more ›