LYNCHBURG, VA – Voters are anxiously waiting in Lynchburg, trying to get their hands on a ballot for this year’s referendum on redistricting.
Early voting starts Friday, but the Lynchburg registrar says people have been showing up all week, trying to cast their vote.
“The phones have been ringing a lot,” Lynchburg Registrar Patricia Jones said.
For Jones, it’s been a fast start.
While she previously served as a deputy registrar, she officially stepped into the role as Lynchburg’s registrar on Monday - the very same day a Lynchburg judge ruled the special election on redistricting could move forward.
“This is a first, but thankfully it’s just like any other election,” Jones said.
Despite weeks of legal back-and-forth over whether the referendum would even happen, Jones says her office has been preparing as usual.
“Yeah, this has been a little different, but we are doing what we have to do to make sure that we’re ready,” she said.
And that preparation is already being put to the test, with eager voters.
“We’ve already actually had people come in, trying to cast their votes already,” she said.
Jones says she has to tell them to come back Friday.
There’s been a lot of debate over the topic of redistricting, so we wanted to hear what you thought. We asked on Facebook and got over 900 responses.
One user said, “I think we have to vote yes on the temporary measure. If republican states are doing this, we must counter to keep things fair.”
While another said, “Vote no. The unfair and temporary change is for the midterms,” and went on to say, “We already have a fair process.”
Jones tells us she believes the debate will drive turnout.
“The more there is in the press regarding this election, the higher the turnout. It’s becoming a hot topic everywhere. The people are ready to cast their ballot, so I’m anxious to see what’s going to happen Friday. I am very excited,” Jones said.
Early voting begins March 6 and goes until April 18. Election day is April 21.