Voters across Virginia are casting their ballots for Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General and House of Delegates seats. In vote-packed Central Virginia, they shared their concerns.
At the Hobson Lodge precinct in Richmond’s South Side, Keisha Spencer, a preschool center director who works in Chesterfield, said cuts to education and community programs were her biggest concern.
“Cutting things like headstart is terrible for our community. These are children that are going to be taking care of us when we’re old,” Spencer said.
As for Democratic Attorney General candidate Jay Jones, who faced a texting scandal that became the Commonwealth’s biggest October surprise, she was unfazed.
“Did that impact your vote for Jay Jones?" I asked.
"No," she said, before laughing.
Eric Olsen, a southside Richmond 20-something, was a bit more blunt in his reason for voting: “I ———- hate Trump.”
At the Stonebridge recreation center in Chesterfield County, foster care social worker Rose Dixon was also worried about cuts to the social safety net.
“People are treated with fairness, that family and children are taken care of," Dixon said. "And the elderly”
At Maybeury Elementary in Henrico County, Republican Winsome Earle-Sears found an ally in 68-year-old James Walker who said he’s voted every year since turning 18. A retired CPA wearing a suit and red tie, he didn’t say who he voted for but: “I think it’s pretty obvious, though.”
He called voting a duty, responsibility and a privilege:
“I’m worried about my country," he said. "I’m more concerned about that, so to that extent, I think a more conservative approach in this country is better at this time.”
Susan Kooch, another Henrico resident, said she stepped down from a GIS analyst job to take care of her special needs son.
Beyond care for those with special needs, her other top issue was: “Women’s rights. I have a terrible fear of backsliding and what I see going on in the government today is reminiscent of things in the past. And to me it's very frightening,” she added.
And at Elmont Elementary in traditionally ruby-red Hanover County, 29-year-old hairstylist Emily said she sat out the presidential election last year, but she didn’t want to make the same mistake this time.
“I think women’s rights are super important, looking at the radical taking away of birth control,” she said.
Emily said last year she wasn’t a fan of Kamala Harris, but this year she voted for Democrat Abigail Spanberger: “This time I do feel like we have a really strong candidate.”
Matthew Mede, another Hanover voter who works in financial services, said he wanted to make sure Republicans won.
“That’s the most important thing," Mede said. "But the whole thing about men in women’s sports was important.”
And then there was another Hanover voter, federal employee David McFadden. When I asked what brought him out to vote, he too broke into a laugh: "Cause I work for the federal government.”
McFadden voted Democrat up and down the ticket after he said he’d seen too many racist dog whistles on the right, among other issues: “Lotta things don’t sit well with me.”
As for the Jay Jones texting scandal… “Let's hold that same standard to someone who is a multiple felon that is now in the White House,” he said.
Polls are open until 7:00 Tuesday night.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
