The Democratic primary is Tuesday, June 11, and besides the statewide contests for Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General (in which Albemarle residents will cast votes, too), Charlottesville voters will select Democratic candidates for three upcoming races in November: Commonwealth’s Attorney, Commissioner of the Revenue, and Charlottesville City Council.
Dave Chapman, who has served as Commonwealth’s Attorney for 20 years, is challenged by Steve Deaton—a reverse-recap of the 1993 primary, when Chapman successfully ran against then-incumbent Deaton. Check out this Daily Progress story for details on the candidates’ positions, including the death penalty and marijuana offenses.
Democrats Todd Divers and Jonathan Stevens are seeking the Democratic nomination in the race for Commissioner of the Revenue, a seat set to be left vacant by retiring Commissioner Lee Richards.
There are five potential candidates vying for the chance to run for one of two seats on the City Council: Vice Mayor and incumbent candidate Kristin Szakos; an Albemarle High School computer science teacher Wes Bellamy and founder of youth empowerment group Helping Young People Evolve; Bob Fenwick, a local builder who made unsuccessful runs for City Council as an independent in 2009 and 2011; UVA graduate student Adam Lees; and Buford Middle School math teacher Melvin Grady.
The two top vote-getters will face off against Republicans Michael A. Farruggio and Charles “Buddy” Weber in the general election in November.
Unlike previous years’ Democratic primaries, this one is being decided by regular precinct voting. That’s opened up the field a bit, Charlottesville Democratic Party Co-chair Jim Nix told C-VILLE earlier this year. “When it’s a primary run by the party, we have some control over who runs,” he said. “In a primary like this, we have absolutely no control. All they have to do is get the 125 signatures and the other paperwork in.”
The polls are open from 6am-7pm. Check the Charlottesville Voter Registration and Elections website for precinct and polling place information.