Voter turnout among Lynchburg’s City Council candidates surpasses general city voters

Of the nine people vying for a spot on City Council this year, one did not vote in the last council elections.

Two of the candidates who sought the backing of local Democrats skipped that party’s primaries in 2005 and 2006.

Five of the hopefuls chose not to vote in a primary that offered only a Democratic ballot with no corresponding Republican option.

Overall, voter turnout among the current slate of council candidates greatly exceeds that of general Lynchburg voters, according to a review of polling precinct records kept by the city registrar.

In nine elections and primaries held between 2003 and 2007, candidates made it to the polls 81 percent of the time. Citywide turnout, by comparison, averaged 33 percent over the same period.

Lynchburg’s voter registrar is legally required to keep, for a minimum of three years, copies of polling books that list who did or did not vote in an election.

Only records between November 2003 and November 2007 were available when The News & Advance requested the information this month. Reports from the February presidential primary were recently sent to the state for review, officials said.

An evaluation of the local polling books revealed that:

- Two candidates, Ward II incumbent Ceasor Johnson and Ward III challenger Nat Marshall, voted in 100 percent of the elections.

- One candidate, Ward I challenger Tom Shahady, did not vote in the at-large City Council elections of 2006. He was the only candidate who didn’t cast a ballot that day.

Shahady said he’s struggled in the past to find candidates he’s willing to support. “If I feel there’s nobody who reflects my values, I will refrain from voting,” he said.

- Only one of the five candidates who sought the endorsement of local Democrats voted in both of that party’s primaries during the period examined. Ward I incumbent Mike Gillette cast a Democratic ballot in both the single-party primary of 2006 and the dual primary of 2005.

In the 2005 primaries, area Democrats had a choice of candidates for lieutenant governor, while Republicans had contested races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and the House of Delegates.

Eight of the nine City Council hopefuls — including three Democrat-backed candidates — asked for a Republican ballot when they went to the polls that year.

The local Democratic party made endorsements in each of the ward races last month. However, local party officials said their vote of support was not meant to signify any formal party affiliation on the part of those chosen.

With the exception of Ward III incumbent Jeff Helgeson, who runs as a Republican, all other candidates have officially identified themselves as independents.

Lynchburg Republicans chose not to issue any endorsements beyond their support for Helgeson.

During the Democrat-only primary of 2006, voters were asked to choose between Jim Webb and Harris Miller in the race for U.S. Senate.

Marie Waller of Ward IV, who was among those to get the blessing of local Democrats, did not vote in that election. It was her only miss in the four years of records reviewed.

Shahady, who sought the Democratic endorsement but was passed over for Gillette, also didn’t vote. It was his fifth miss in the nine elections reviewed.

Both Johnson and Marshall — the other two candidates to get Democratic backing — voted in the Democratic primary, although they cast Republican ballots the year before.

Johnson’s opponent in Ward II, challenger David Johnston, made parallel choices, participating in the Democratic primary in 2006 but casting a Republican ballot in the dual primary of 2005.

Citywide turnout in those same elections reflects a clear preference for Republican Party politics.

During the dual primary, 17.3 percent of Lynchburg’s electorate or 6,607 voters participated in the Republican ballot, according to state records.

At the same time, 1.5 percent, or 567 people, opted for a Democratic ballot.

In 2006, when only Democratic candidates were on the table, the turnout dipped to 3.63 percent, or 1,419 people. It was the lowest turnout of the nine elections reviewed.