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Dems Nominate Norris, Szakos for City Council and James Brown for Sheriff in first "Unassembled Caucus"
The Charlottesville City Democrats held its first ever unassembled caucus on May 9, 2009 at Burley Middle School from 9AM-7PM. The unassembled caucus included two in person absentee voting opportunities on April 28, 2009 and May 7, 2009 for those who could not vote due to travel, religious observations and working 8 of the 10 hours of voting on May 9, 2009. The unassembled caucus also afforded three in home voting opportunities for the infirmed or home bound voters who could not vote in person. The unassembled caucus was handicapped accessible and offered curbside voting for those who came in person but could not physically cast their ballot.
Approximately 1650 voters cast ballots during the entire unassembled caucus including the in person absentee and in home voting opportunities. Approximately 150 voters took advantage of the in person absentee and in home voting opportunities. See Final Caucus Results for details on the voting.
On May 9, 2009, every hour of the day saw over 100 people vote. The campaigns helped create a festive atmosphere for the voters and the candidates. Voters generally were appreciative of the opportunity to vote in a more flexible process. In response to the new process, voters frequently told party officials “well that was easy.” Of the approximately 1650 ballots cast, approximately 3% were either invalidated or voters chose not to cast a vote for one or both of the races.
The sheriff’s race included an instant run off because on the first ballot the eventual winner did not receive a majority vote on the first ballot. The purpose of the instant run off was to ensure a majority vote rather than a plurality.
A special thank you is extended to the Charlottesville Registrar who provided back up for voter registration information from the state board of elections information that the Democratic Party was utilizing. For example, if a voter was not in the state board of election database utilized by the Democratic Party, then a credentials committee member called the Registrar who could immediately verify whether the voter was registered which allowed the person to vote. The local Democrats are very appreciative of the Registrar and her staff for being available and insuring that the process ran smoothly.
The Charlottesville Democratic Committee appreciates the hard work all the candidates put into making this a positive campaign. The Committee particularly appreciates Julian Taliaferro’s long history of public service to the Charlottesville community.
Finally, a hearty congratulations to Dave Norris, Kristin Szakos, and James Brown, the Charlottesville Democratic nominees for City Council and Sheriff.
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