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Women Break the Cycle of wi hot topics COMPILED BY WI EDITOR D. KEVIN MCNEIR

Domestic Violence Pope Francis Appoints Voter Awareness Pep

By Tia Carol Jones law enforcement. She said they threat,” she said.District’s Wilton Gregory as Rally Features NBA Stars WI Staff Writer had come together to bring a sense of uniformity in the way Among the programs Marlow wants to see implemented areFirst Black Cardinal in U.S. and Popular Rapper When L.Y. Marlow's 23-yearold daughter told her the father of her daughter threatened her life, and the life of their child, she knew something had to be done. Out of her frustration with law enforcement's handling of the situation, she decided to start the Saving Promise campaign. domestic violence victims and survivors are treated. “She's using her own personal story, her own personal pain to push forward,” Davis-Nickens said about Marlow. Davis-Nickens said anyone who reads Marlow's book will “get it.” She said she “puts the case in such a way, the average stricter restraining order policies, more rights for victim's families to intervene on behalf of a victim, a domestic violence assessment unit coupled with further training for law enforcement agencies, a Child's Life Protection Act and mandatory counseling for batterers. “If we are ever going to eradiIn 2019, Wilton Gregory shattered a glass ceiling maintained for centuries within the Catholic Church, becoming both the nation’s and the District’s first African-American archbishop. And on Sunday, Oct. 25, he achieved another milestone when The Hustlers Guild hosted their second virtual HBCU voter awareness pep rally on Oct. 19 with NBA All-Star Chris Paul, future NBA Hall of Famer and sports analyst Vince Carter, NBA

“It seems to be a vicious cycle person can get it.” She said at the cate domestic violence, we mustPope Francis, during remarks made from St. Peter's Square champion Matt Barnes that won't turn my family end of the day, the book will look at both sides of the coin.in Vatican City, appointed Gregory, 72, to become Amer- and rapper Chika. loose,” Marlow said. Marlow help people begin to have a dia- We need to address both the vic-ica's first Black cardinal. Gregory counted among 13 who Sharing their motivashared her story with the audi- logue about domestic violence. tim and the batterer,” Marlowwill be elevated to the rank at an installation ceremony slat- tions for voting and ence at the District Heights ed later this year on Nov. 28. Also present at the event was said. how they have become Domestic Violence Symposium Mildred Muhammad, the ex- Marlow would also like to seeThe Washington Informer spoke at length with Gregory civically-engaged cition May 7 at the District Heights wife of John Allen Muhammad, programs designed to raiseshortly after his historic appointment as archbishop in an zens, the featured guests Municipal Center. The sympo- who was sentenced to six consec- awareness among children inoffice located at the Archdiocese of Washington in Hyatts- engaged with students sium was sponsored by the utive life terms without parole public and private schools. Sheville, Maryland. (For the complete interview go to: https://www. across 40 Historically Family and Youth Services by a Maryland jury for his role in feels children need to be educat-washingtoninformer.com/archbishop-gregory-continues-task-of-re- Black College and Universities topics including: creating Center of the city of District the Beltway Sniper attacks in ed about domestic violence.storing-trust/) Prior to 2019, he had led the Archdiocese of voting plans, early voting, absentee voting and commu“We have to stop being passive-aggressive with poor children about domestic violence. I plan to take these Heights and the National HookUp of Black Women. Marlow has written a book, “Color Me Butterfly,” which is a story about four generations of domestic violence. The book is inspired by her own experiences, and those of her grandmother, her mother and her daughter. She said every time she reads excerpts from her book, she still can not believe the words came from her. “Color Me Butterfly” won the 2007 National “Best Books” Award. “I was just 16-years-old when my eye first blackened and my lips bled,” Marlow said. Elaine Davis-Nickens, president of the National Hook-Up of Black Women, said there is no consistency in the way domestic violence issues are dealt with by 2002. Mildred Muhammad is the founder of After the Trauma, an organization that helps the survivors of domestic violence and their children. “I lived in fear for six years. Six years in fear is a long time. It is not an easy thing to come out of,” she said. Mildred Muhammad said people who want to help a domestic violence victim must be careful of how they go into the victim's life, and understand that she may be in “survival mode”. “Before you get to 'I'm going to kill you,' it started as a verbal “We have to stop being passive-aggressive with poor children about domestic violence,” Marlow said. Marlow has worked to break the cycle of abuse in her family, and is confident the policies she is pushing for will start that process. “I plan to take these policies to Congress and implore them to change our laws,” Marlow said. “I will not stop until these policies are passed.” Tia Carol Jones can be reached at tiacaroljones@sbcglobal.net WI Atlanta – a position to which he was first appointed in 2005. In the District, Gregory replaced Cardinal Donald Wuerl who resigned in Oct. 2018 after yielding to surging public anger which could not be abated given his role in the Church’s sexual abuse crisis. A cardinal’s primary responsibility remains to elect a new pope, should he step down or die, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. However, eligibility for cardinals who can elect the former pope’s successor requires being under the age of 80. Nine of the 13 new cardinals, including Gregory, are under that age. According to Vatican News, the official news agency of the Holy See, cardinals wear the distinctive red vestment to indicate their willingness to sacrifice themselves to the point of shedding “their own blood in the service of the Successor of Peter.” nity strategies that increase voting awareness. One high school student, senior Kaila Peterson, won $1,000 in the Guild’s Tik Tok Challenge for her voter awareness social media post that garnered over 20,000 comments. Paul encouraged youth with these words: “Understand the importance of your voice. Challenge your homies. Challenge your friends (to vote) . . . We have to keep doing things like this.” In September, The Hustlers Guild joined Barnes to educate 250,000 students across the U.S. about the voting process, hoping to increase voting in communities that have historically low voter turnout. “In just a few weeks, people in our communities will have a chance to make their voices heard. We want to make sure that they have created a voting plan and are out there encouraging others. Making informed decisions is extremely crucial,” said Yasmin Salina, Guild co-founder and executive director. For more, visit @thehustlersguild (Instagram), @hustlersguild (Twitter) or on Facebook, thehustlersguild.org. As the nation enters the home stretch towards Election Day, the Arlington-based National Council on Aging [NCOA] has provided tips on how older adults can vote safety including resources to assist them. NCOA produced a trailer in which you can visit: https://youtu.be/ mAkFFzopC68. Older Americans have been lifelong voters and they’re an important voting bloc in many elections. However, they and their caregivers have National Council on Aging Shares Tips to Keep Elderly Voters Safe policies to Congress and been among the most vulnerable in this health pandemic. Challenges include: safely getting to the polls, understanding mail-in options, securing assistance in filling out their ballot or language assistance and where to register to vote.

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM“ implore them to change our laws. I will not stop until these policies are passed. L.Y. Marlow For recommendations on how to overcome any or all of these challenges, visit NCOA’s website, www.ncoa.org/ vote or www.healthvoting.org/ncoa. Also on NCOA's website is an Election Toolkit that features information aimed at better educating all voters. The page includes: tips for healthy voting and information on how older adults can avoid voter ID scams, as well as details about the issues on the table that affect older Americans, such as Medicare, Medicaid, retirement, investing in aging services and COVID-19.

AROUND THE REGION

COVID-19 Avoidance Introduces Variety into Voting

By James Wright WI Staff Writer @JamesDCWrighter

With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in the District, how can residents who vote be confident that they will be around to see the results next year?

That’s the compelling question in 2020.

The ongoing presence of COVID-19 became the main reason the D.C. Board of Elections voted in the summer to send each registered voter in the District a mail-in ballot for the Nov. 3 general election. With that option, elections officials say voters can either mail it in, drop it in or go to the polls.

Frank Wilds, a longtime Ward 5 political activist, said he will go to the polls on election day. He acknowledged that seniors like him are more vulnerable than others to COVID-19 but said that won’t steer him away from the polls.

“I will walk to my polling station at Bertie Backus [Junior High School] and stand in line to vote,” Wilds said. “And yes, I will wear my mask while standing in line and voting. I did receive a mail-in ballot from the board of elections but I am going to go ahead and go to the polls anyway. I do have those conditions that trigger the corothe Entertainment & Sports Arena (ESA), at 6:25 a.m. to be sure she could vote and then leave as soon as possible. However, when McWhirter arrived at the facility, she expressed shock at her position in line.

“I decided to get up real early this morning to vote because this is a very important election for our city and our country,” she said. “I didn’t expect to be first in line, though.”

Many residents like McWhirter took advantage of the 32 early voting centers throughout the District to cast ballots for contests ranging from U.S. president to advisory neighborhood commissioners as well as Initiative 81 which makes possession of illegal magic mushrooms a lower law enforcement priority.

The D.C. Board of Elections could not provide hard numbers navirus because I do suffer from high blood pressure and have had triple bypass surgery but I want to vote at the polls.”

Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, the District’s health department director, said she recognizes the civic duty of residents to cast a ballot. However, she counsels residents to do so safely if they decide to go to an early voting or election day center.

“If you are sick, do not go to a voting center,” Nesbitt said at an Oct. 26 news conference. “You must protect your fellow voters and poll workers from getting sick. When you are in line at the polls and in the center, wear a mask. Be sure to have a mask that you will be comfortable wearing for a long period of time. Also, practice social distancing by standing six feet from the voter in front of you and make sure you practice good hygiene by washing your hands before you go to vote. It’s a good idea to bring hand sanitizer with you to vote, too.”

Nesbitt said safer methods such as voting by mail and utilizing drop boxes can still take place even though the 32 early voting centers started on Oct. 27 and the 95 election day centers will operate on Nov. 3.

The national buzz on social media about possible violence and voter intimidation during the election season hasn’t

EARLY VOTING from Page 1

gone unnoticed by District officials. on who voted on Oct. 27 by Informer press time but Nick Jacobs, the agency’s public information officer, said a high turnout occurred in the morning and slowed down by afternoon.

The centers operate from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. until Nov. 2. On Nov. 3—election day—there will be 95 voting centers that will operate from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters can vote at any center regardless of where they live.

McWhirter said she could have gone to a closer center, such as the one located at Anacostia High School, but opted for the ESA.

“I came here because of COVID-19 and I wanted to avoid catching that,” she said. “This is a larger facility and I think I am better protected here.”

Before it opened, the line to get into the ESA almost reached Alabama Avenue, S.E. in accordance

EARLY VOTING Page 9

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said at the news conference the Metropolitan Police Department, the D.C. National Guard and the D.C. Homeland Security Department are prepared “to keep D.C. voters safe.” Karl Racine, the District’s attorney general, has set up an email and a phone number for voters to call if they are intimidated while trying to vote.

Raul Marcias, counsel in the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, said there are laws against voter intimidation at the federal and state levels and poll workers have undergone training to stop the practice.

“We are in a time when there is talk in the media about elections being stolen and that has created an environment of suspicion,” he said. “Voters should not go to the polls in fear,” he said. But if they encounter problems “they should contact polling officials and civil rights organizations for assistance.”

“If there are incidents of voter intimidation, voters should tell a poll worker immediately,” he said.

WI

5 People are practicing social distancing at a District voting center. (Anthony Tilghman/ The Washington Informer)

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MBE/DBE Certi ed | Woman-Owned Business OCT. 29 1945 – Tony Award-winning actress and singer Melba Moore is born in New York City. 1949 – Alonzo G. Moron is inaugurated as the first Black president of Hampton Institute, later known as Hampton University. 1969 – The Supreme Court orders the immediate end of school segregation. 1981 – William O. Walker, publisher of the Cleveland Call Post, dies in Cleveland at age 85.

OCT. 30 1974 – Muhammad Ali regains the world heavyweight championship by knocking out George Foreman in the eighth round of the "The Rumble in the Jungle." 1991 – BET Holdings, Inc. the parent company of Black Entertainment Television, sells 4.2 million shares of stock in an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, becoming the first African American company listed on the exchange.

OCT. 31 1896 – Early 20th-century actress and singer Ethel Waters (right), the first African American woman to be nominated for an Emmy Award, is born in Chester, Pennsylvania.

1950 –

Earl Lloyd becomes the first African American to play in an NBA game.

NOV. 1

1945 – John H.

Johnson publishes the first issue of Ebony magazine.

1946 – Charles S.

Johnson becomes the first Black president of Fisk University. 1951 – Jet magazine publishes its first issue. 1991 – Clarence Thomas is sworn in as the 106th associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

NOV. 2 1930 – Haile Selassie is coronated as emperor of Ethiopia. 1983 – President Reagan signs a law designating the third Monday in January as Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

NOV. 3 1868 – John Willis Menard of Louisiana becomes the first Black man ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, though a challenge of the electoral results by his defeated foe prevents him from taking office. 1896 – J.H. Hunter, an African American inventor, patents the portable weighing scale. 1992 – Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois becomes the first African American woman to be elected to the United States Senate.

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NOV. 4 1844 – Cathay Williams, the only known female Buffalo Soldier, is born in Independence, Missouri. 1879 – Inventor Thomas Elkins patents an improved refrigerator design. 1954 – Hulan Jack is elected borough president of Manhattan in New York City, becoming the highest-ranking African American municipal official at the time. 1969 – Entertainment and business mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs is born in Harlem, New York. 2008 – Barack Obama defeats John McCain to become the first Black president of the United States. WI THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

view P INT

BY SARAFINA WRIGHT

Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, D.C., has been appointed by Pope Francis as America's first Black cardinal. What are your thoughts?

ANNE ELIZABETH /

COLLINSVILLE, ILLINOIS Though I'm no longer of the faith, I was lucky enough to have met and worked with Wilton Gregory when I was in high school. He is a wonderful man, and I'm so pleased he has continued to lead by example in the church.

ARIELLE FRI /

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA I really like the pope and I'm not Catholic! It stinks that it took this long!

BIS REEVES /

WASHINGTON, D.C. Congratulations. I won't say it was due to racism that it took much longer to happen. It's just the number of Blacks who represent the Catholic community in America. IF YOU WANT QUALITY WORK, JUST CALL!

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election coverage 2020

Obama Blasts Trump in Drive-in Rallies Supporting Biden’s Run for the White House

Makes Stops in Philly and N. Miami with Election Day Less Than One Week Away

By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor @dkevinmcneir

After energizing voters at a drive-in rally in Philadelphia on Oct. 21, former President Barack Obama continued along the campaign trail for his former vice president on Oct. 24 – this time in the battleground state of Florida.

“Now listen, you delivered twice for me, Florida, and now I am asking you to deliver for Joe and deliver for Kamala,” Obama opined at Florida International University’s [FIU] Biscayne Bay campus in North Miami.

Amidst concerns over public safety as the coronavirus maintains its deadly, nationwide assault on Americans, Obama, until last week, had limited his activism to virtual fundraisers or carefully targeted media blitzes. However, during his two recent public appearances, the Democrats’ most popular figure has not only supported his legacy which included contributions made by then vice president Biden but he’s gone on the offensive in his views about Donald Trump.

With an estimated 60 million Americans having already voted and with Biden making significant inroads with suburban women (predominantly white) and seniors, Obama has sought to engage youth, African Americans and Latinos – voting blocs with whom the former vice president has been less effective in securing support.

Both Pennsylvania and Florida, considered by many political analysts as states essential to victory in the 2020 presidential election, each gave Obama the nod in his two successful campaigns. In Pennsylvania, Obama won with ease at 61.94 percent and 50.01 percent during the 2008 and 2012 elections, respectively – also capturing the majority of the popular in both campaigns. He did the same in Florida in 2008 and 2012, again twice garnering the popular vote while winning at clips of 54.47 percent and 51.97, respectively.

Thus, it seemed reasonable that given his popularity among voters in the two states, he would travel to Pennsylvania and Florida, going on the offensive with pointed statements which impugned Trump’s ineffectiveness while providing evidence for voters who still remain uncommitted.

Obama spoke on the FIU campus for about 45 minutes from a stage built in the university’s parking lot to a crowd who elicited cheers by honking car horns. About 400 people attended in 228 cars at the “invite-only” rally with those invited comprised mainly of “volunteers and supporters,” according to the Biden campaign.

Obama spoke about the COVID-19 health pandemic, the Affordable Care Act [ACA], the economy and, of course, Donald Trump, while emphasizing, “this is the most important election of our lifetime.”

“This pandemic would have been tough for any president because we have not seen something like this in 100 years, but the idea that somehow this White House has done anything but completely screw this thing up is nonsense,” he said.

He noted that he and Biden left the White House a “pandemic playbook” which he explained instructed the new administration how to best respond should a virus strike the U.S.

Then, he continued with jocularity: “It must be lost, along with the Republican Health Care Plan. We can’t find it” – a statement which elicited further “car-horn applause.”

On healthcare, he said Biden counts as the best candidate to both improve

(Courtesy photo) and care for the health of Americans.

“Miami Dade has the highest enrollment (in the ACA) of any county in Florida. Florida has the highest enrollment [of any state in the country]. Nobody has a bigger stake in making sure those protections stay in place than right here in Florida,” he said.

Meanwhile, Trump greeted supporters in Columbus, Ohio on Oct. 24 with comments which derided the differences among the number of attendees at the two Saturday events.

Trump predicted he would see “tens of thousands of people,” comparing his rallies to those of his opponent while specifically alluding to the drive-in rally Obama held in North Miami on Saturday.

Ironically, Trump’s criticism occurred on a day when both Ohio and the U.S. set record highs for new coronavirus cases including several top aides to Vice President Mike Pence who tested positive.

During the current election cycle, rallies in support of Biden have been held as drive-in gatherings following social distancing protocol due to the coronavirus pandemic in comparison to Trump’s rallies, held outdoors and without social distancing enforced.

“I looked at the crowd that was – that President Obama had. Not too big. Not too big. I don’t know if that’s an indication of anything but there’s nobody there,” Trump said. WI

election coverage 2020

Poll Watchers Scrutinize Election Process for D.C. Area Campaigns

By James Wright WI Staff Writer @JamesDCWrighter

Throughout her life, Anita Shelton has served in several capacities as a political activist. She has served on the D.C. Democratic State Committee representing Ward 1, worked on campaigns and presently serves as the president of DC Women in Politics, an organization with the mission of promoting females as elected officials in the District.

However, being a poll watcher for campaigns has been a role she relishes, saying it remains one of the most rewarding experiences she has had.

“I have served as a poll watcher for many years, going back to the Marion Barry campaigns and most recently with Dionne Bussey-Reeder’s bid for the D.C. Council at-large seat in 2018,” she said. “It has been an experience I have found to be enriching and exciting.”

In the District, the law allows a campaign to petition the D.C. Board of Elections for a certain number of poll watchers in each polling place. District law mandates poll watchers must be approved by the board and the leader of the poll place in order to conduct their activities.

Poll watchers are presently active in the District as the early voting centers process ballots for the Nov. 3 general election. They can be seen at various centers throughout the District representing their candidates interests by seeing that the election laws, rules and

EARLY VOTING from Page 5

to social distancing. However, when D.C. Board of Election officials opened the doors to ESA’s entrance the line moved swiftly. Marcellus Walker, a resident of Ward 4, decided to vote at the ESA “because it is close to my job.”

“I think it is a good idea to open up the voting centers for anyone who lives anywhere in the city,” Walker said. “This is more convenient for me rather than waiting in line at the Emery Heights Community Center and then have to hurry to get to work on time.”

Later in the morning, Lisa Tayregulations are being followed by the opposition. Poll watchers become the “eyes and ears” of the candidate they volunteer or work for, Shelton said, and can provide valuable information on voting trends to the campaign.

“Poll watchers make sure certain activities such as the taking down of signs doesn’t happen and monitoring who has come to the polls to vote,” she said. “It is the poll watchers who set the tone for the campaign on the ground. For example, it is the poll watcher who will tell campaign leaders if more signs or literature at a precinct are needed.”

Charles Wilson, the chair of the D.C. Democratic State Committee, said his party recognizes the importance of poll watchers.

“As a party, we want to make sure voters are protected when they go to the polls and we want to support Democratic candidates,” Wilson said. “We don’t recruit poll watchers but we send out information to party activists and to others who are interested doing that by giving them the contacts for the campaigns.”

Both Shelton and Wilson know about poll watching activities over the years in jurisdictions outside of the District, particularly in the South. They said they are aware poll watchers for mainly Republican campaigns have been hired to intimidate voters, especially those of color, from voting as well as President Trump encouraging his followers to monitor election activity in Democratic strongholds.

However, D.C. Attorney General

lor came to the ESA she said because she got tired of waiting in the “long line” at the Malcolm X Community Center.

“They are moving too slow for me,” she said. “I need to vote and get it over with.”

The Malcolm X Community Center’s line reached around the basketball court with voters practicing social distancing. Cali Artis, a Ward 7 resident, came to Malcolm X to vote and didn’t seemed discouraged by the slow-moving line.

“The long line is okay with me,” she said. “It’s moving. I want to vote and get it over with so I will stay here.”

5 Charles Wilson, the chair of the D.C. Democratic State Committee. (Coustesy photo)

Karl Racine said recently intimidating poll watching has no place in the District.

“It is unlawful to threaten, intimidate or coerce District residents who choose to vote by mail, or in-person,” the attorney general said in a statement. “Now more than ever, we urge District residents to be vigilant and report any type of unauthorized poll monitoring or voter intimidation.”

Shelton said voter intimidation tactics like those in the South and other places doesn’t occur in the District but says there can be tension among campaigns that can become racial.

“If there is a close race between a Black candidate and a white candidate it can become adversarial,” she said. “People may lose their tempers and they may have to be reported to the board of elections for their conduct.”

WI

In Artis’ home ward, Shoa Samad expressed excitement after voting for the first time. The Benning neighborhood resident said coming to cast a ballot at Deanwood Community Center meant a lot to her.

“Voting means that I have a voice in my community, and I can make a difference,” she said. “I decided to come in person to vote instead of mailing in a ballot. When I was younger, I would come with my Dad to the polls to vote and I wanted to be involved in the whole experience of doing that.”

Deanwood neighborhood res-

EARLY VOTING Page 16

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“I heard a loud noise in the heavens and the Spirit instantly appeared to me and said the Serpent was loosened and Christ had laid down the yoke he had borne for the sins of men and that I should take it on and fight against the Serpent for the time was first approaching when the first should be last and the last should be first.” – Nat Turner in “Confessions of Nat Turner,” who led a slave rebellion and was captured Oct. 30, 1831 in Virginia, sentenced to death and hung Nov. 11.

election coverage 2020

Northern Virginia Voters Engulfed in Polarizing Contests

By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins

In the weeks since early voting started in Virginia, legions of voters have braved long lines, the threat of COVID-19, and in some cases the menacing taunts of raucous right-wing bikers, to cast their vote for president, their congressional representative and other candidates appearing on the ballot for state and county-level seats.

This has all happened as the Virginia Courts quietly acquiesced to demands to extend the voter registration deadline after the state’s online portal shut down for several hours earlier this month on what Virginia Department of Election officials designated as the last day of voter registration.

Amid such circumstances, some Black people like Lou Neely said they’re constantly reminded about what’s at stake this election season.

“We’ve seen the decay in race relations over time in this country, but it’s gotten 500 times worse with the Trump regime. They have stoked the flames of racial hate and division,” said Neely, a Fairfax County resident of more than 25 years.

On Saturday, Neely and his wife casted their vote at the Fairfax County Government Center, reflecting on the events of the last four years, and lessons learned about the necessity of credible congressional leadership.

“The Republicans in the Senate are not doing their job,” Neely said. “They are going to sleep and [there are not] the correct checks and balances.”

Neely, a septuagenarian with recollections of the Civil Rights era, later bemoaned what he called the gradual loss of voter protections.

“During our lifetime, there was a time when we couldn’t vote, but now they’re trying to take away the vote. I don’t understand the suppression. If they feel that confident in their policies then let the voters speak,” he told The Informer. THE HEAT TURNS UP IN VIRGINIA

Weeks before the Neelys performed their civic duty, the Brothers in Christ Motorcycle Ministry and the co-chair of the Republican National Committee, among several other people, brought their “Trump Train'' caravan to the Fairfax County Government Building where they spent more than an hour revving their engines, blowing their horns, and waving their Trump flags.

The group eventually gathered in a nearby parking lot for a spontaneous rally. Their chanting and heckling of voters concerned poll workers who, despite the health risks of gathering in closed spaces during a pandemic, opened an additional room in the government building to provide voters a refuge while they waited to cast ballots.

In the days following that incident, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring outlined guidance for poll workers and reiterated institutionalized protections against voter intimidation.

In Virginia, two Democrats are fighting to keep their congressional seats, while one Republican in a pro-Trump district struggles to maintain a decisive lead over a Democratic contender. On Monday, the Virginia Department of Elections reported that nearly two million people voted early, and more than two million Virginia residents requested absentee ballots. That’s considered a record by election officials.

Despite what pundits have described as President Donald Trump’s dismissal of Virginia as a battleground state, Democrats within the increasingly blue state said they believe Vice President Joe Biden will get the state’s 13 electoral college votes.

Standing in their way however, are groups of Trump supporters that, even on the quietest of days, continue to mobilize at polling stations with red “Make America Great Again” hats, campaign paraphernalia and an intense abhorrence for progressive values.

“Racism is in every country, not just here [and] it’s not systemic,” said Christine L., a Trump supporter who spent much of Saturday afternoon near the entrance of the Fairfax County Government Center at a table where conservatives openly discussed their apprehensions about a Biden presidency.

“I don’t believe that Republicans are portrayed as racist,” said Christine, who identifies as Asian. “I see more violence from leftists rioting and breaking into stores than I do Trump supporters,” she continued. “Trump made promises and he kept promises. He wasn’t a regular politician. He wanted to build a wall. That’s a great idea to keep out illegal immigrants.” THE BIGGER PICTURE

With early voting scheduled to wrap up on Oct. 31, local candidates are making a last-minute attempt to engage voters at the polls. In Arlington County, Symone Walker, a contender for an Arlington School Board seat, counted among those who posted up along Clarendon Boulevard outside a polling site.

A key part of Walker’s platform centers on equity and curriculum development. While she agreed that the presidential race stands as one of the most consequential of this season, she maintained a position that local races carry just as much weight.

In her appeal to voters, Walker has focused on local and state-level problems resonating with community members.

“People tend to focus on the presidential race, and maybe more people are focused on the Senate [this time] but voters need to educate themselves about the local issues, like county ordinances, zoning, and school board issues that impact voters directly on a daily basis,” Walker told The Informer.

“The reason why President Obama couldn’t accomplish what he wanted is because people didn’t come out for the congressional races,” she added. “He was a lame duck unable to pass

5 Lou Neely and his wife Monica speak to Washington Informer reporter Sam P.K. Collins after voting at the Fairfax County Courthouse on Oct. 24. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer) legislation and nominate people to the Supreme Court. Voters need to get out of the mindset that the most important race is presidential.” WI

VOTE