WHAT IS THE BEST TIME TO AVOID A CROWD? Registrars predict that lines will be long throughout the day, but polls will be busiest when they open at 6 a.m., during lunchtime and in the last two hours before the polls close, from 5 to 7 p.m. "People are going to have to be prepared to wait," said Alex Ables, the registrar for Fauquier County. "It's going to be difficult when 44,000 people try to get their vote in all in one day." THERE HAVE BEEN RUMORS CIRCULATING THAT ABSENTEE BALLOTS WILL NOT BE COUNTED IF A CANDIDATE IS WINNING BY A LARGE MARGIN. ARE THESE RUMORS TRUE? No, all absentee ballots will be counted after 7 p.m. on Election Day, provided they are either postmarked by Oct. 28 or cast in person by Nov. 1. IS THERE ANYTHING I SHOULD NOT BRING TO THE POLLS? T-shirts, buttons, stickers or any other promotional materials supporting one particular candidate are not allowed within 40 feet of any polling location. Cellular phones also are prohibited. "We want to keep the polling place as neutral as possible," Stafford County Registrar Sharon Persinger said. HOW MANY VOTING MACHINES WILL BE USED IN VIRGINIA? According to the Virginia State Board of Elections, Virginia will be using 10,600 voting machines, averaging out to 474 voters per piece of equipment. A total of 4,633 machines have been added this year, most of which are touch-screen. HOW ARE POLLING LOCATIONS PREPARING FOR TECHNICAL MALFUNCTIONS? Every voting machine must be tested prior to Election Day, according to state policy. Because many polling locations are using the touch-screen machines for the first time, there will be technicians on hand throughout the day. "I'm not going to say our machines won't break down, because they might, but we should be prepared, and I just ask that everyone stay calm," said Juanita Pitchford, the registrar for Fredericksburg. WHAT MEASURES HAVE REGISTRARS TAKEN FOR CROWD CONTROL? Virginia registrars augmented their regular office staff with temporary employees appointed by the electoral board to work during the election. In addition to hiring extra poll workers, counties such as King George and Orange are using volunteers from local high schools to be election pages, who will oversee the lines. Training for all volunteers and employees has become more extensive throughout Virginia compared with previous elections. "Not only have we extra poll workers, we have also given them four times the amount of training," said Kristin Hicks, the registrar for Westmoreland County. ARE YOU REGISTERED? To find out if you're registered, contact your local registrar's office: Fredericksburg: 540/372-1030; 715 Princess Anne St., Room 101, Fredericksburg Spotsylvania: 540/507-7380; 9106A Courthouse Road, Spotsylvania Stafford: 540/658-4000; 1300 Courthouse Road, Stafford Caroline: 804/633-9083; 109 County St., Bowling Green Culpeper: 540/825-0652; 151 North Main St., Culpeper Fauquier: 540/347-6972; 32 Waterloo St., Warrenton King George: 540/775-9186; 10459 Courthouse Drive, Suite 102, King George Louisa: 540/967-3427; 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa Orange: 540/672-5262; 146 N. Madison Road, Orange Westmoreland: 804/493-8898; 105 Court Square, Montross For information about voting and your local registrar, visit the State Board of Elections Web site, sbe.virginia.gov. HAVE THERE BEEN PROBLEMS PROCESSING APPLICATIONS? Most registrars have not yet encountered any phony registrations or implications of voter fraud, and stress that their staffs are carefully evaluating forms from registration drives. "There will be no votes from Mickey Mouse or SpongeBob SquarePants in Stafford County," said Sharon Persinger, registrar for Stafford. PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT Democratic Party Barack Obama Joe Biden Republican Party John McCain Sarah Palin Independent Green Party Chuck Baldwin Darrell L. Castle Libertarian Party Bob Barr Wayne A. Root Green Party Cynthia McKinney Rosa Clemente Independent Party Ralph Nader Matt Gonzalez U.S. SENATE Mark R. Warner--D James S. "Jim" Gilmore--R Glenda Gail Parker--IG William B. Redpath--L U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st DISTRICT (Stafford, Fredericksburg, the Northern Neck and parts of Spotsylvania, Caroline and Fauquier) Bill S. Day--D Robert J. "Rob" Wittman--R Nathan D. Larson--L U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 7th DISTRICT (Orange, Culpeper, Louisa and parts of Spotsylvania and Caroline) Anita Hartke--D Eric I. Cantor--R ROAD PROJECTS (For Stafford County voters only) Question: Shall Stafford County, Virginia contract a debt and issue its general obligation bonds in the maximum amount of Seventy Million Dollars ($70,000,000) for the purpose of paying the costs, in whole or in part, of the following transportation improvement projects: 1. Warrenton Road (Route 17); 2. Garrisonville Road (Route 610); 3. Ferry Road (Route 606); 4. Courthouse Road (Route 630); 5. Truslow Road (Route 652); 6. Telegraph Road (Route 637); 7. Courthouse Road (Route 630) Railroad Bridge; 8. Pedestrian improvements; 9. Kellogg Mill Road (Route 651); 10. Youth Driver Task Force "Hot Spot" Traffic Safety Improvements: a. Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. Route 1); b. Brooke Road (Route 608); c. Poplar Road (Route 616); d. Mountain View Road (Route 627); e. Rock Hill Church Road (Route 644)?

Date published: 11/3/2008

Comments guidelines

1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
2. Please avoid offensive, vulgar, abusive, hateful or defamatory language.
3. Read and follow THE RULES.
4. We will block violaters and ban repeat offenders.