Politics & Government

Vote Today

Arlington County polls open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Arlington County voters will help decide four primary contests today, including the heated 31st Senate District race between Barbara Favola and Jaime Areizaga-Soto.

Polls are open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Arlington County had about 149,000 registered voters in April, according to the latest information available from the Virginia State Board of Elections.

Find out what's happening in Clarendon-Courthouse-Rosslynwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Registrar Linda Lindberg said about 1,000 absentee ballots already have been cast in person, a number she called "unprecedented." About 200 mail-in ballots have been returned. Absentee ballots that were delivered in the mail can be turned in through 7 p.m.

Local Democrats have been worried that turnout for today's off-year election will be even worse because redistricting pushed the primary to August, a month often reserved for summer vacations.

Find out what's happening in Clarendon-Courthouse-Rosslynwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"It's hard to say" what turnout will be, Lindberg said. "It could exceed 10 percent, which is good for a summer election with only state and local candidates on the ballot. We haven't had an August primary in 20 years."

The reconfigured districts place voters in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor in Senate District 31, between , an Arlington County Board member, and , an attorney.

The seat is being vacated by retiring Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple, and the costly primary contest has drawn quite a bit of attention.

The local . The office, based in Arlington, also has jurisdiction over Falls Church and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

and are competing for that seat.

A three-way race in the 30th Senate District and a contested delegate race in South Arlington also will be decided today.

Four years ago, turnout reached only 5 percent. That year, the Democratic primary was held in June and the only contested race was for county treasurer.

In the 2008 Democratic presidential primary, about 34 percent of registered voters cast ballots.

To see a list of polling places, and the sample ballots for each, click here.


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