Democratic Primary 2013: Low Turnout in Lorton

Primary elections are infamous for having low turnout, but this one takes the cake for some Lorton precinct captains. 

"I've been working at the polls for six years and I've never been this bored," said Laurel Hill Precinct 628 Captain Jaqcueline Garrett.

At 3:30 p.m., Laurel Hill had 39 votes - after being open since 6:00 a.m.

Precinct 617, the Lorton Library, had 57 voters (of 2,429 registered voters) by 3:45 p.m.

It was slow going at South County Precinct 629, which also had 39 votes (out of 2,945 registered voters) by 4 p.m.   

"This is the slowest I've experienced in seven years," said 629 precinct captain Nathanial Shelton. "I expect another 10-15 more votes by the end of the day." 

Tuesday's primary will decide the Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor and attorney general. State Sen. Ralph Northam (D-Norfolk) will face off for lieutenant governor against Aneesh Chopra, the first U.S. chief technology officer under President Barack Obama. Former federal prosecutor Justin Fairfax is facing State Sen. Mark Herring (D-Loudoun) for the attorney general nomination.

Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat from McLean, was the only person to file paperwork for governor.

The last time Virginia had a June primary with only lieutenant governor and attorney general on the ballot—similar to this year — was in 2001. That year, fewer than 165,000 people voted in Virginia, a voter turnout of approximately 4.2 percent, according to the Virginia State Board of Elections.

Fairfax isn’t an anomaly – turnout has been low across the region.

Only about 50 voters had been through the Herndon Community Center as of 10 a.m., said Cesar del Aguila, chairman of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee, who was on hand to answer questions and assist voters.

“But, in my experience, Democrats tend to vote later in the day, so I expect to see a big uptick after the 5 p.m. hour," he said.

The polls close at 7:00 p.m.

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