Election Day In Arlington: Coronavirus Top Issue For Residents

Last updated at 3:25 p.m.

ARLINGTON, VA — On Tuesday, Arlington residents who had not voted absentee went to the polls to cast their vote in a number of races — both national and local.

This year, Arlingtonians will vote for president and vice president; U.S. senator and congressman; one County Board member; and two members on the Arlington School Board. They will also vote on two amendments to the Virginia Constitution; and five bond questions (Metro and transportation, local parks and recreation, community infrastructure, Arlington Public Schools, and stormwater).

Virginians are expected to choose former Vice President Joe Biden (D) over President Donald Trump by a wide margin, according to a recent poll by FiveThirtyEight. In addition, incumbent Sen. Mark Warner (D) is expected to beat challenger Daniel M. Gade (R).

Lines in Arlington were non-existent in Arlington, except at 6 a.m. when people were waiting in line for the polls to open. After the first wave of voters early in the morning, residents did not have to wait in line and breezed in and out.

"I just enjoy the process of coming in and voting in person," Arlington resident Daniel Miktus said about his decision to vote in person on Election Day at the Central Library precinct in Arlington. "Combine that with that I figured everyone else would be voting not in person, so I figured I could walk right in and walk right out and that's exactly what happened.

Miktus, who said he voted for Trump, noted he felt safe inside the precinct from the coronavirus due to the plexiglass up between the election workers and voters and how they were handing out fresh pens to each voter.

If Biden wins the presidential election, Miktus said he would not be pleased. But he said he believes the presidential election does not impact his day-to-day life in a big way. "I'll just go on with my life," he said.

President Trump visited Arlington Tuesday afternoon to take questions from reporters and thank Republican National Committee staff. His message to Americans who didn't vote for him was "everybody should come together, and I think success brings us together."

In response to a reporter's question on election results preparations, Trump said, "No, I'm not thinking about concession speech or acceptance speech yet. Hopefully we'll be only doing one of those two And you know, winning is easy. Losing is never easy, not for me it's not."

In the Arlington County Board race, current Board Chair Libby Garvey is running against Audrey Clement. Three candidates are competing for two vacant School Board seats: David Priddy, Christina Diaz-Torres, and Symone Walker.

Amid concerns about possible exposure to the new coronavirus, many Arlington voters have already cast absentee ballots or voted at one of the early voting centers around the county. Mailed ballots must be postmarked or otherwise demonstrated to have been sent on or before Election Day to be counted.

Read Patch's full voters guide for Arlington County.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 3. For those voting in person on Nov. 3, you can check your polling place on the Virginia Department of Elections website.

An acceptable form of identification is required to vote in person, but it no longer has to be a photo ID. Examples of accepted IDs include a Virginia driver's license or DMV-issued photo ID, U.S. passport, and copy of a utility bill, paycheck or other government document showing the voter's address.

Mail ballots may arrive between Nov. 3 and Virginia’s deadline of Nov. 6, so it will be at least the end of the week before all ballots are tallied.

An Arlington resident, who voted at the Arlington Arts Center precinct with his wife, explained that he decided to vote on Election Day because he was worried that would be a wave of voters for one party or the other that would make it look like there is far higher turnout for one party or the other.

"By casting my ballot on Election Day, I at least make sure I am heard on this day and balance out the numbers," the voter, who voted for Biden and declined to be identified, told Patch.

The Arlington resident noted that there were concerns about whether there would be enough poll workers due to the coronavirus. "I am so pleasantly surprised as to how many people answered the call," he said. "It's a smooth process. They have a different entrance and exit, providing one-way traffic so that people don't get close to each other."

The voter said that he and wife's lives — in terms of the taxes they pay and their job security — are better under Trump. "But that doesn't matter. There have been four years of heinousness. This country is more divided than ever," he said. "I don't put the blame entirely on him or his supporters. But he certainly hasn't done anything to fix it."

While much of the focus of the 2020 election coverage has been on the presidential race, there are a number of issues affecting Arlington residents that candidates running for office have been highlighting. Chief among these have been the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, house, and police funding.

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In the County Board race, Garvey singled out the coronavirus pandemic as the most pressing issue facing Arlington residents.

"I will continue to work as I have this year so the county provides support for: our schools (financial, internet, food for student families); our small businesses (grants, counseling, flexible ordinances where possible); residents (continuing vital County services and strengthening our safety net); community health (increasing testing capability; contact tracing; support for those needing it to quarantine)," she said.

For Clement, Garvey's opponent, the most pressing issue in Arlington is up zoning.

"I oppose upzoning, because it will densify the County but provide no affordable housing," she said.

Clement is also against the idea of "defunding the police":

"I oppose defunding the police as a prescription for inflicting even more misery on the Black community. In 2020 alone numerous cities have reported an increase in crime due to efforts to defund the police."

Garvey sees the idea of addressing the causes of crime or misbehavior as a more effective way than policing to create a more peaceful and just society.

"I believe law enforcement will always be needed, but I have long supported training for police so they can divert people in mental health crisis from the criminal justice system and into proper mental and behavioral health treatment," she said. "I support paying police well so they can be a part of our community and so we attract and retain the best officers who care about our entire community. However, as I think everyone would agree, good schools and strong safety nets are far better ways to spend public dollars than to spend them on the enforcement needed if social services and schools are poor or completely lacking."

In the School Board race, the impact of the pandemic and students' ability to successfully return to school were what two of the candidates said were the most pressing issues facing Arlington Public Schools.

"The single most pressing issue is ensuring our students are able to successfully learn this year and that we set up our system to thrive past this pandemic," Diaz-Torres said. "In the immediate term, we need to give our teachers the training and resources needed so that they can give students an excellent education no matter the format of instruction. As an educator myself, my focus will always be on ensuring our students graduate ready for success in whatever path they may choose."

"Our single most pressing issue facing APS right now is how we navigate a safe return to school for students, staff, and teachers during COVID-19," Priddy said. "If elected, I plan on making sure the Superintendent's plan for reopening is consistent with best practices in the state of Virginia and within CDC guidelines."

All candidates running in Arlington were invited to fill out a candidate questionnaire:

• Meet The Candidate: Audrey Clement For Arlington County Board
• Meet The Candidate: Libby Garvey For Arlington County Board
• Meet The Candidate: Cristina Diaz-Torres For School Board
• Meet The Candidate: David Priddy For Arlington School Board

Visit the Virginia Department of Elections website to access election results.