SEPTEMBER 2013
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FROM THE EDITOR School Board, House Candidates Meet October 7
The Virginia-focused
political website Bearing Drift recently posted an interesting projection
on this year’s
elections in the Commonwealth: a voter turnout rate below 40 percent, perhaps as low as 37 percent. This would be a tad below 2009, and a continuation of the downward plunge in voter participation in Virginia gubernatorial elections—which haven’t seen 50 percent turnout in more than two decades. More shocking still
are voting Commonwealth
records for the 2011 election in
which there was no governor’s race—below 30 percent. It means more Virginians
use
Facebook than vote for the officials who represent them in Richmond or on the school board.
Political analysts cite lower voter enthusiasm
for the
trend—and point out that in Presidential elections Virginia’s
energized electorate has shown up at rates topping 70 percent in four of the last five races. A more often cited reason for staying home on Election Day is not knowing enough about the candidates or the issues. Okay . . .
For at least two races of local interest, there will be multiple
opportunities to
learn about the candidates and their ideas. The Clarke County Education Association and E3 Clarke, a community- based
forum focused on
publication education, will host a candidates’ forum October 7 at 6:30pm in the Clarke County High School Auditorium. The candidates for the 33rd
district House of Delegates and Clarke County School Board have been invited. In
Berryville
the Delegate race, resident
Mary
Costello Daniel faces off against David
LaRock of Loudoun
County, who unseated Delegate Joe May in
the
primary. The school board election
for the Berryville District has George Archibald of West Main Street going up against Roberta Lasiter of Lindsay fascinating
Court—a race because
neither candidate is American born. Whatever your politics, you have to appreciate that both value community democracy enough to get involved in their adopted
country—see earlier
passage about couch potatoes sitting out elections. There will likely be other opportunities to hear from the candidates, but the high school auditorium has
the greatest
probably seating
capacity. It should be a source of community pride to fill the place. The Observer will feature a Q&A in the October edition.
Republican
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