Arlington Elections Roundup: Democrats Nab Wins in Arlington, Record Voter Turnout

The results show that the majority of Arlington County voters sided with Democratic candidates across the board Tuesday in an election that brought a record voter turnout.

“I’m just thrilled, this is a wonderful night to be a Democrat,” said Libby Garvey, who was reelected as an Arlington County board member.

Garvey garnered 58 percent of the vote in Arlington County, along with other Democrats Tim Kaine who got 65 percent of the vote in the U.S. Senate Race, and Jim Moran who brought 62 percent of the vote in the 8th Congressional District race.

According to the Virginia State Board of Elections, unofficial turnout hit a historic high of just under 118,000 voters, or 83 percent of the active registered voters.

“The percentage turnout is slightly lower than our record of 85 percent in 1992, when 83,132 Arlingtonians cast ballots," said Arlington County Registrar Linda Lindberg. Arlington voters were also faced with long lines much of the day.

Arlington Democratic supporters gathered at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse on Columbia Pike to watch the results, cheering as some of the results came in, while remaining cautiously optimistic for much of the evening.

“I’m still like everyone else, on pins and needles,” said Justin Leach, who had canvassed for Obama.

Arlington Republicans, meanwhile, filled the RiRa Irish Pub in Clarendon with a mixture of optimism and nerves that mark election night. Even after Fox News and other major networks had called the election for Obama, some supporters hoped for a shift in the numbers.

“It’s not over, that’s what I’m going to tell myself,” said Benjamin Portman, 26, who attended the Republican Party. “If Obama wins, I will be very disappointed and it will be a sad day for our country.”

While the presidential elections dominated the minds of voters, the local county board election brought one pleasant surprise for Green Party candidate Audrey Clement, who garnered 12.3 percent of the vote.

“I’m delighted, I can’t tell you how happy I am,” Clement said. “As a minor party candidate it is very difficult to get in the double digits.” 

In the Arlington County school board race, Emma N. Violand-Sanchez received 58,890 votes and Noah L. Simon’s 59,780. Each candidate ran unopposed.

See a full breakdown of the results below. Want to see the top tweets and photos from Election Day? View our "storify."

Presidential Election  (Arlington County votes only)

Total votes cast

Barack Obama (D)

Mitt Romney (R)

Virgil Goode (C)

88,523

59,475 (67.19%)

27,483 (31.05%)

101 (0.11%)

House of Representatives Race, 8th District (Arlington County votes only)

Total votes

Jim Moran (D)

Patrick Murray (R)

Janet Murphy (IG)

86,719

26,622 (30.70%)

1,579 (1.82%)

United States Senate Race District 1 (Arlington County votes only)

Total votes

George Allen (R)

Tim Kaine (D)

92,300

60,759 (65.83%)

Proposed Constitutional Amendment Question 1 (Arlington County votes only)

Total votes

Yes

No

36,242 (44%)

Proposed Constitutional Amendment Question 2 (Arlington County votes only)

Total votes

Yes

No

12,111 (15%)

Arlington County Board Race

Total votes

Libby Garvey (D)

Matt Wavro (R)

75,898

44,155 (58%)

21,272 (28%)

9,401 (12.3%)

1,070 (1.4%)

Arlington County Metro and Transportation Bond Issue

Total votes

Yes

No

82,115

16,304 (19%)

Arlington County Local Parks and Recreation Bond Issue

Total votes

Yes

No

83,140

32,104 (38%)

Arlington County Community Infrastructure Bond Issue

Total votes

Yes

No

80,867

21,953 (27%)

Arlington County Public Schools Bond Issue

Total votes

Yes

No

82,465

15,521 (18%)