Published: January 10, 2011
If the weather and a rare January election date collide on Tuesday, the registrars in Danville and Pittsylvania County have worked to make voters’ trips to the polls easier.
Danville Registrar Peggy Petty said she has been coordinating with various city departments to make sure polling places are plowed as quickly as possible.
First, totals have to be gathered, and all of the information has to be brought to the registrar’s office. Then, when the vote is official, Virginia State Police officers have to hand-carry the paperwork to Richmond — by 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Jenny Lee Saunders, Pittsylvania County’s registrar, said she has coordinated with the Virginia Department of Transportation to make sure the county’s 29 precincts will be clear.
The challenge in Pittsylvania County is the sheer size of the county and the distance between voting locations, Saunders said.
VDOT’s maintenance manager for the region, Kenneth Martin, said crews will plow primary roads first.
“Luckily most polls are on primary roads,” Martin said.
Supervisors through the county will check on polling places through the day.
“Even without the weather, we check for congestion during elections,” Martin said. “I don’t see any real issues.”
Both political candidates for the 19th District Senate seat will also be helping voters get to the polls.
The campaign manager for Democrat candidate Hank Davis, of Chatham, said volunteers with four-wheel-drive vehicles will take voters to the polls.
“We’re providing rides to polls all over the district,” Danny Draper said. “For the last month, we’ve been recruiting very skilled drivers, who know how to drive in the snow.”
To reach Davis’s ride coordinator, call (434) 432-0717.
Read more:
http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2011/jan/10/candidates-offering-rides-polls-if-weather-poor-ar-765897/
