Arlington Commonwealth's Attorney Campaigns Seek Votes On Election Day

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County and City of Falls Church voters are casting ballots in the Democratic primary election for commonwealth's attorney and other primary races on Tuesday. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The two candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for Commonwealth's Attorney of Arlington County and the City of Falls Church are incumbent Parisa Dahghani-Tafti and former prosecutor Josh Katcher.

The winner will run as the Democratic candidate in November's general election.

In their campaigns, both Dehghani-Tafti and Katcher are running as reform-oriented prosecutors, vowing not to return to the days when "law-and-order" commonwealth's attorneys held office in Arlington and neighboring jurisdictions in Northern Virginia.

Candidates and volunteers for both campaigns were greeting voters at precincts across Arlington on Tuesday, hoping to win over votes on election day.

Heather Keppler, who was campaigning for Katcher Tuesday morning outside the Overlee Knolls and Lexington precincts in Arlington, said she volunteered for Dehghani-Tafti's campaign in 2019. But Keppler said she became concerned about the lack of prosecution of certain cases by the commonwealth's attorney office under Dehghani-Tafti.

Keppler's daughter was hit by a car while riding her bicycle, shattering the car's windshield. Her daughter, a top cross country runner at Yorktown High School, was unable to get back to her same running pace after recovering from the injuries.

Arlington County police issued a citation to the driver, but when the case "got to Parisa's traffic court, there were no prosecutors in court and there was no police officer that showed up, so all the charges were dropped," Keppler said.

"Our family wasn't even informed, and no one even reached out to us. That's when I decided that I did not like how Parisa and her team were running the commonwealth's attorney office," she said.

When talking to Katcher on the campaign trail, Keppler said he spoke about the importance of traffic court and how it is a good training ground for prosecutors and "how you need to have all those jobs filled."

"He convinced me that he will continue my passion for criminal justice reform but do it in a way where he is going to be a good steward of that office," she added.

Michael, who lives in Shirlington and describes himself as a "reformed Republican," said he would be voting for Dehghani-Tafti because he would like to see her win a second term to further implement her criminal justice reform agenda.

"Given her track record and the things she has done in the past, I’d like to see her continue her work," Michael said. "I appreciate her position on mental health care and on the drug court."

Josh, a resident of North Arlington, who was campaigning for Dehghani-Tafti Tuesday morning outside the Overlee Knolls and Lexington precincts, said he believes Katcher's campaign has engaged in scare-mongering on crime in Arlington.

"Arlington is a low-crime jurisdiction and always has been," Josh said. "To campaign on, 'Oh, we have this crime spike,' and then call yourself a reformer doesn't wash. The biggest slander on criminal justice reform is that it causes crime to go up when it doesn't. All the evidence shows it doesn't cause crime to go up."

"There's a mismatch there, and it makes me not trust that he will continue her reforms if he is elected," he said.

Dehghani-Tafti ran on a reform platform in 2019, and she delivered on all of her promises, Josh argued.

"Four hundred years of the criminal justice system being used for oppression is hard to reverse. She's made a good start, and we need to stay the course and keep reform going," he added.

How to Vote on Election Day

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, June 20. To check your polling place, visit the Virginia Department of Elections citizens portal.

To see a polling places, visit the Arlington County Department of Elections website. An acceptable form of identification is required to vote in person.

A Note On Early Voting

Early voting wrapped up Saturday, June 17. For those who requested a mail-in ballot, it must be returned in person by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20 or postmarked on or before June 20. The mail must be received by the Arlington County Department of Elections before noon on Friday, June 23.

Mail-in ballots may be returned by mail, at drop boxes across the county, and on Election Day at polling places between 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Where to Find Election Results

Unofficial election results will start to come in after polls close at 7 p.m. on June 20 on the Virginia Department of Elections website. Follow Patch on Election Day for live coverage of Arlington County primary election results.

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