Republican wins tied Virginia race decided by lottery, likely keeping GOPs 18-year hold on House

[DonViejo]

Source: The Washington Post



By Washington Post Staff January 4 at 11:12 AM

A Virginia elections official reached into an artsy stoneware bowl, pulled out a name and declared Republican incumbent David Yancey the winner of a House of Delegates race that could determine which party controls the chamber. Virginia staged a rare election lottery, livestreamed across the country, to settle a tie between Yancey and Democrat Shelly Simonds. It might not be the last word in the contest, as the loser of the drawing is entitled to request a second recount, likely leaving the race in limbo as the General Assembly reconvenes Wednesday.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.


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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2018/01/04/republican-wins-tied-virginia-race-decided-by-lottery-likely-keeping-gops-18-year-hold-on-house

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Republican wins drawing to decide control of Virginia statehouse

The name of David Yancey was pulled out of a film canister, a wild end to an election that could determine the fate of Medicaid expansion in the state.

By KEVIN ROBILLARD 01/04/2018 11:13 AM EST Updated 01/04/2018 11:19 AM EST

Republicans will fully control Virginia’s House of Delegates after an incumbent GOP member won a drawing Thursday to decide a tied election — and potentially the fate of Medicaid expansion in the state. The state elections board chairman pulled a film canister out of a ceramic bowl containing the name of Republican David Yancey, giving him the victory over Democrat Shelly Simonds. Each received 11,608 votes in the race for a Newport News-based seat in the Virginia legislature’s lower chamber.

Yancey’s victory will give the GOP a 51-49 advantage in the House of Delegates. Democrats staged an unexpectedly strong performance in the November election, winning 15 seats and nearly erasing the GOP’s 66-34 majority.

Thursday’s drawing came after a three-judge panel refused to hear Simonds’ arguments over a single contested ballot. While an initial recount gave Simonds a one-vote lead, Yancey’s lawyers successfully argued a discarded ballot should have been counted as a vote for the Republican.

The drawing will likely have major implications for Democratic Gov.-elect Ralph Northam’s agenda. Northam is trying to complete Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s long push to expand Medicaid in the state, and now will have to work with a GOP-controlled chamber to do so. Northam has signaled a willingness to work with the GOP on Medicaid expansion, to the dismay of some progressive groups.

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https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/04/xxxx-wins-drawing-to-decide-control-of-virginia-statehouse-324024

[riversedge]

1. damn damn.

[lindysalsagal]

2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/?reloadtrue

https://www.washingtonpost.com/?reload=true

[Freethinker65]

3. They won it when they accepted the spoiled ballot

[underpants]

6. Yep. Late and clearly a double vote

The 3 judge panel are all Republicans

[lapfog_1]

4. yeah... I was predicting this once the court allowed that badly spoiled ballot to count for the

repuke.

Even worse is the disparity in the Democratic versus repuke state wide vote totals. If it wasn't for gerrymandering, the state would be something like 64% Democrats in the legislature.

[Shrike47]

5. Of course the Republican won. Rigged? I have to wonder.

[Faygo Kid]

14. +1

They always do this.

[lagomorph777]

7. Betcha both cannisters contained the same name.

Suprahz suprazh suprahz!

Simonds should definitely demand a 2nd recount. I'm sure Dems would cover the cost, with such high stakes.

[MurderMittenLiberal]

15. Well...

They showed both names before going into the canisters and both names after the drawing took place. Unfortunately they actually won the drawing.

[lagomorph777]

25. Given that Simonds mentioned other questionable ballots, and there is still at least one more

avenue of appeal, any chance Dems will go for it? (I think they could buy a 2nd recount, and maybe there's a court of appeals too?)

[onenote]

19. I'll take that bet.

Of course, you must think that Virginia Democrats are all morons.

[C Moon]

8. And this is how the GOP plans to try to keep congress in 2018...cheating.

The Russian money will be harder to come by, so lying and cheating will be rampant.
That's probably why they are so focused on getting their judges in place.

[lagomorph777]

26. +1

[ck4829]

9. I'm sure that if Shelly Simonds was pulled, it would have said "Shelly Simondsss" and do it again

[mvd]

10. I really thought luck would be with us here

I wouldn't be surprised if there were shenanigans. Definitely do a second recount!

[Stonepounder]

11. I wonder how long we will continue to believe that we get 'free and fair' elections?

Russia rigged out pResident election. ID laws determine who gets to vote and who doesn't. Voters who have voted in same precinct for years suddenly are given 'provisional' ballots. Voting machines have no paper trail and are ridiculously easy to hack. Party in power at the state level gets to gerrymander to guarantee they will remain in power. When all else fails, get SCOTUS to make up something to stop a recount and declare they guy with fewer votes the winner (and declare that particular decision cannot be used a precedent for anything else).

And our clinically insane Orange Shit Gibbion complains that there were thousands and thousands of illegal voters who were bussed from state to state on election day to to a person voted for Hillary.

No wonder the younger generation doesn't bother voting!

[HelenWheels]

12. Rethuglicans win?? again

To let an electiion with all the time and money invested be determined by picking names out of a bowl is another travesty inflicted on the electorate. Shame. The Dems had better insist on a recount, you can bet the Rethugs would if the draw had gone the other way.

This is the time for Democrats to fight for their political future.

[minstrel76]

13. I hope karma repays the Republicans for all the shenanigans they have pulled

And then some.

[lagomorph777]

27. We are Karma.

And Karma is MEAN.

[0rganism]

16. did the Dems check the other film canister after the drawing?

would not be surprised if both had Yancey's name, or some other slight-of-hand was applied here. i can't remember the last time a Democrat won one of these "games of chance" -- like drawings for who goes first in debates and such. i wouldn't trust the GOPhers with anything where cheating is possible.

oh well.

[onenote]

20. They were checked before and after.

We lost, at least for the moment. There could be another recount. Maybe it'll come out in our favor, maybe it won't.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

17. Anyone surprised?

[onenote]

21. Since it was a 50-50 shot, I don't know how anyone could be surprised at the result.

[SunSeeker]

18. Cheaters.

[Swallowtail]

22. 10% more votes for Democrats, yet republiCons control Virginia's House?

Gerrymander much?


McLEAN, Va. (AP) — By almost any measure, Democrats crushed Republicans in Virginia’s elections last week, sweeping all three statewide offices and knocking out more than a dozen incumbent GOP legislators.

Add up the votes in all 100 House districts, and Democrats beat Republicans by a 10-point margin, 54 percent to 44 percent. That’s an even wider margin than Democrat Ralph Northam’s victory over Ed Gillespie in the gubernatorial race.

“You have this tsunami of an election … and it’s weird we live in a democratic republic where the elections don’t matter,” said Brian Cannon, executive director of One Virginia 2021, which advocates for a nonpartisan redistricting process.

Cannon said the districts in Virginia are drawn to give Republicans a huge head start. He estimated that if Republicans had the same 10-point advantage Democrats won on Tuesday, the GOP would have won 66 seats or more.


https://wtop.com/virginia/2017/11/big-vote-totals-dont-convert-to-wins-for-house-democrats/

[bluestarone]

23. God i certainly hope she request a recount!!!!!!

she was talking one time of loser does not ask for one.(if i remember but the repub didn't answer to that) WE NEED ONE MORE VOTE,OR SEE ANOTHER BALLOT THAT'S QUESTIONABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DoctorJoJo]

24. Surprise, Surprise!

The Repuke wins! How easy is that drawing to rig? All they need is for one capsule to have a different tactile feel, and a Repuke to pull that one out. They didn't even need Putin for this rigging!

[bluestarone]

30. anyone know if this is correct?

i can't believe they would have different color canisters!

[notdarkyet]

31. Im sure I read it here on du. One grey, one black. Ill look for the article.

[notdarkyet]

32. All I could find was an article that said they used old film canisters they had kept back. Removed

My post because I could not find where I read it.

[bluestarone]

33. kk ty

wouldn't surprise me tho LOL

[Cha]

29. That's not what the VOTES say.. I hope it backlashes on the cheating

assholes.

[stuffmatters]

34. Simonds MUST demand the recount to which she is by Va law entitled

Repugs pushed the election to this drawing by singling out one discarded ballot from all the others...after the recount was ended.

So this recount needs to happen again; where ALLl questioned discarded ballots are reexamied,not just the one (completely ambiguous from what I saw) cherry picked by the Repugs to usurp the first recount results.

The Repug candidate had said he'd push for another recount if he did not win the drawing. That was a stance he took when the Dem asked him to state that each would concede if they lost the drawing. . So the Repug had already refused to accept the results of the drawing..
So there's that plus, apparently under Va law, she has the absolute right to call for another recount. So another recount MUST be sought by the Dem and a true final accurate count rendered for the people of Va. It would be madness for the Dem to cave in at this point, cooperate with all ths Repug bullshit.

[rtracey]

35. hmm

I believe there needs to be a recount, something stinks here...tied vote hmmmm naaaaa not feeling it.