Arlington GOP anticipated to proceed lobbying on poll safety issues | information/arlington

With regards to the sanctity of the electoral course of in Arlington, even the get together that often comes out the loser has no main complaints.

“Effectively run, competent and hardworking” was the phrase used to explain the County Elections Workplace and its chief, Gretchen Reinemeyer, on the annual Arlington County Republican Committee Volunteer Appreciation Dinner Nov. 29.

It was not a testimonial dinner; Reinemeyer was not there to listen to the reward. Quite the opposite, the remarks had been delivered by Frank Lusby, head of the Arlington GOP Election Integrity Crew, who, whereas praising election workplace workers, mentioned the GOP would preserve and, if attainable, improve its presence all through the election monitoring course of.

“We perceive what is going on on and we’ve our eyes on every thing,” mentioned Lusby, who mentioned the plan was to verify “everybody performs by the foundations” throughout the election.

“We want to invite new volunteers to get entangled,” he mentioned.

The GOP despatched almost 40 ballot watchers to look at the method within the November election, logging greater than 675 hours of service.

Ballot watchers “labored very arduous to make sure the integrity of the election,” mentioned John Sellmansberger, who helped lead the trouble and obtained the GOP’s Hilda Griffith Award for Excellent Volunteer Service on the Nov. 29 dinner. .

“That award is theirs,” Sellmansberger mentioned of the polls watch staff and particularly the core of about 10 members actively engaged year-round within the effort.

Till the pandemic, Republicans had been steadily absent from the Arlington Board of Elections assembly (besides in fact for the Board of Elections themselves). Over the previous two years, the GOP Election Integrity Crew has been vocal at conferences, notably in pushing for a discount within the variety of poll drop packing containers locally.

Republicans argue that having a big variety of drop packing containers — there are at present 9 — is dear and invitations the potential for fraud.

Unsurprisingly, Democrats disagree on each counts, and the get together management pledged in early November to do every thing in its energy to carry them again. However Lusby mentioned Arlington goes too far, establishing an “inflated variety of drop packing containers” that do not serve a powerful public curiosity.

“Fairfax has 5 instances our inhabitants, and so they solely have one,” he mentioned (which is true, although Fairfax supplies drop packing containers at early voting websites throughout peak instances elections).

With the Arlington Board of Elections having two Democratic members to at least one Republican, the GOP had no actual solution to press the difficulty this yr. However on Jan. 1, a Republican (to be nominated by the Circuit Courtroom within the coming weeks) will exchange Democrat Matthew Weinstein on the panel, giving the get together a majority for the primary time in almost a decade.

State legislation and related Virginia Division of Elections pointers depart it as much as registrars to find out what number of drop packing containers to distribute locally, however—shaking issues up a bit—it additionally requires them to seek the advice of the members of the Electoral Council on this topic.

If the matter is taken to extremes, members of the Electoral Council have the facility to expel registrars; it is occurred in different Virginia jurisdictions, often in a haphazard vogue, however hasn’t occurred in Arlington, at the very least not up to now 30 years.

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