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Vol. 32, No. 44 | Richmond Suburban News | March 9, 2016
STOPS AT EVERY HOME IN TOWN
Clinton and Trump win county and state ‘Exceptionally high turnout’
Meredith Rigsby/ The Local
An “exceptionally high turnout” was reported by Voter Registrar Teri Smithson for last week’s Presidential Primary Election. A poll worker checks the identification and voter registration for a voter at the precinct located at Oak Knoll Middle School.
By Meredith Rigsby News Editor HANOVER – Hanover County had an “exceptionally high turnout” of voters during the March 1 presidential primary election, according to Teri Smithson, voter registrar for Hanover. Virginians, like voters in 10 other states on Super Tuesday, threw their support for Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump. Statewide, they each got
503,357 and 356,245 votes, respectively. In Hanover County, the totals were 4,915 and 8,586, respectively. Unfortunately, in the early morning of Election Day, an election officer for the Oak Hill precinct was killed during a single-vehicle collision. According to Sgt. James Cooper of the Hanover County Sheriff ’s Office, Malcolm Gardner Jr., 76, died when the 2006 Chevrolet sedan he was driving westbound on Melton Road crossed over both lanes of Ashcake Road, struck an embankment, and rolled over several times. He was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. No major issues occurred during
the ballot-casting process, but many voters were confused about whether or not they had to be registered with a party to vote in the primary. For the presidential primary election, voters do not need to be registered with a party in order to vote. The Hanover County Registrar’s Office had voters “calling by the hundreds” to ask if they were registered with their party and would be able to vote in the primary, Smithson said. In a first for the county, a voter at the Pebble Creek precinct left with his ballot while a deputy was clearing an issue with the ballot machine. The Hanover County Sheriff ’s see WIN, pg. 5
DC2RVA high-speed rail project progressing By Meredith Rigsby News Editor ASHLAND—TheVirginiaDepartment of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is about halfway through a threeyear-long study being conducted concern-
ing a proposed project to construct a highspeed rail connecting Washington, D.C., Richmond, Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina, and Atlanta, Georgia, with a spur from Richmond to Hampton Roads. “The goal of the project is to identify and evaluate specific rail infrastructure improvements and service upgrades that
will increase passenger rail service frequency, so the number of rails that would come through, and the reliability,” Emily Stock, project manager for the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, said. “It [the project] would help with the on-time see RAIL, pg. 4
File photo/Jim Ridolphi
While trains are a significant part of Ashland’s history, town council rejected a proposed high-speed rail addition there.
Judy Kilgour
Kevin Kilgour
Real Estate Professional
Real Estate Professional
Serving Hanover County since 1989
kevin.kilgour@LNF.com judy.kilgour@LNF.com