Although Hanover and Henrico counties were on a list of localities the U.S. Department of Justice monitored on Election Day, both registrars said no problems were reported at any of their precincts.
The DOJ sent staff to six localities in Virginia to ensure federal laws were being followed.
Hanover General Registrar Teri Smithson said prior to Election Day that the county had expected and prepared for high turnouts this election cycle.
After the county’s precincts closed and initial vote tallies were entered, Smithson told VPM News things had gone smoothly — apart from a few technical issues.
“We started with a couple ballot scanners that had to be replaced, but we had a plan for that,” Smithson said. “Once we took care of them, we didn’t see any major problems.”
Of the 95,339 registered voters in Hanover, around 76% voted, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.
Henrico boasted a similar turnout percentage: 71% of its 250,249 registered voters went to the polls.
County Registrar Mark Coakley said the DOJ’s presence was welcomed.
“They came out and did exactly what they said they were going to do: Observe,” Coakley said. “Thankfully, we didn’t have any major issues at any of our 90 precincts. Election Day was a walk in the park, thanks to our staff.”
One outlier both registrars mentioned was the number of same-day voter registrations that occurred in the localities.
Virginia’s same-day voting laws allow eligible voters to cast provisional ballots — which are counted separately and subject to approval by the local election board, regardless of when they’re cast.
As of Nov. 8, neither Henrico or Hanover have reported the number of provisional ballots they certified in this election. But Smithson said Hanover sorted just over 950 provisional ballots, while Coakley estimated Henrico collected over 3,000.
“I wish I could tell you the exact number, but we’re in the process of verifying the number of provisional ballots that came, so it could be some time before we get the final number,” Coakley said.
As both Hanover and Henrico looked to reconcile their final vote count, Coakley expressed thanks to voters, who he said were enthusiastic and patient throughout the process.
Smithson echoed the sentiment as they both prepare for the next election cycle.
“I’m just thankful people showed up,” Smithson said. “We prepare for elections every year, and it's good to see that everyone trusts us to carry out a fair election.”
