Special election goes on despite snowstorm
http://www.leesburgtoday.com/news/special-election-will-go-on-despite-snowstorm/article_a31bbc44-8210-11e3-b722-001a4bcf887a.html
The forecast of 3 to 5 inches of snow across the area is likely to deter some voters from trudging out to the polls in the 33rd state Senate District's special election Tuesday.
Voters will decide the successor for now Attorney General Mark Herring—and which party takes the reins of the Senate. The election will go on as planned no matter the weather conditions, according to the Virginia State Board of Elections.
The snow is expected to arrive in the area about 6 a.m. Tuesday. Light snow showers will continue until noon, followed by moderate to heavy snowfall until 2 a.m. Wednesday, according to The Weather Channel.
Which candidate in the three-way race was favored to win the special election was already anybody’s guess, but slick roads and precipitation makes the outcome even more uncertain. The candidates are Independent Joe T. May, Democrat Jennifer Wexton and Republican John Whitbeck.
“The weather is certainly going to decrease turnout overall,” Mark Sell, chairman of the Loudoun County Republican Committee, said Monday. “But weather affects everybody so I don’t know if it offers an advantage to any particular candidate. I think it’s just going to inconvenience everybody.”
Valerie Suzdak, chairwoman of the Loudoun County Democratic Committee, sounded confident that Democrats will turn out. “We know that the balance of the Senate is at stake here, and we know it’s important to turn out to make sure the Democrats control the Senate,” she said. “I don’t think a little snow is going to keep people away from voting.”
Sell encouraged voters to get to the polls early, before snow starts to accumulate.
Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Residents will vote in their normal polling places. To view verify where to vote, go to www.loudoun.gov/vote.
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