You can read The Washington Post article here.

This year the local political offices will be on the ballot.

> Virginia General Assembly: PWC now has five Virginia Senators and eight Delegates.
> Board of County Supervisors: There are seven Supervisor Districts and one at-large Chairman.
> School Board: There are seven School Board Districts and one at-large Chairman.
> County-wide Offices: Sheriff, Commonwealth’s Attorney, Soil and Water Directors (3).

The names of candidates who have filed for office is posted here.

The deadline to register to vote in the General Election is 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 17, 2011.

• If you are registered at your current address, you do not need to register again.
• If you need to register or change your name or address, print the Virginia Voter Registration Form, sign and mail it to the address below (Manassas office), or visit the offices in Manassas or Woodbridge.
• Citizens needing to verify their voter registration status may call the General Registrar’s office at 703-792-6470 or check online.
  • Check your registration and polling place online at the State Board of Elections’ website (click on “My Information”).
  • If you move and don’t change your voter registration before Oct. 17, call and talk to a Registrar about your eligibility to vote. Don’t wait until Election Day.

Absentee Voting Before Election Day

If you will be away from the County on Election Day (whether on a trip, working long hours and/or commuting) or are unable to go to the polls because of illness or disability, you may vote by absentee ballot (see the following Web page for more information: Early/Absentee Voting).

You may submit an Absentee Ballot Application to receive a ballot by mail up to a year in advance of the election. The mailing out of ballots will begin Sept. 23, 2011.

• The last day to request that an absentee ballot be mailed to you is Nov. 1, 2011.
• In-person absentee voting starts Sept. 23, 2011.
• The last day for in-person absentee voting is Nov. 5, 2011.

Absentee Voting In-Person will take place at three locations (flier of Absentee Voting details for this election):

The Office of Voter Registration and Elections
9250 Lee Avenue, Suite 1, Manassas, VA 20110-5554
Office hours:
Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Extended hours:
4 Thursdays, Oct. 13 to Nov. 3, 5 to 7 p.m.
2 Saturdays, Oct. 29 and Nov. 5, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Voter Registration office in the Woodbridge Department of Motor Vehicles
2731 Caton Hill Road
Woodbridge, VA 22192
Office hours:
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon
Extended hours:
4 Thursdays, Oct. 13 to Nov. 3, 5 to 7 p.m.
2 Saturdays, Oct. 29 and Nov. 5, noon to 5 p.m.

Haymarket Museum
15025 Washington Street
Haymarket, VA  20169
Limited Hours:
4 Thursdays, Oct. 13 to Nov. 3, 5 to 7 p.m.
2 Saturdays, Oct. 29 and Nov. 5, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

GOP voters favor conservatives in Senate primaries

In balloting shaken up by a Virginia-centered “once-in-a-century” earthquake that forced some voting precincts to move operations outdoors, the GOP and Democratic parties set up sharp contrasts in November elections that will determine whether Republicans take total control of Virginia policymaking for the first time in 10 years.

In the Senate, a net Republican gain of two seats would create a 20-20 split in the 40-member chamber, but Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling holds the tie-breaking vote. Republicans already control the House of Delegates and the governor’s office.

Among the Republican winners was former state GOP Chairman Jeff Frederick, a former Virginia House member who defeated Tito “The Builder” Munoz in the 36th Senate District. Munoz, a Colombian immigrant and contractor running his first campaign, gained a nickname and fleeting fame from a cameo campaign appearance in 2008 alongside Sarah Palin in Prince William County. Frederick challenges Democratic Sen. Linda “Toddy” Puller in November.

Another conservative former House member, Dick Black, won the GOP nomination in the 13th Senate District.

Victory Alert: Abortion Center Safety Passes Senate On Lt. Governor Bolling’s Tie-Breaker Vote!

After a long and passionate Senate floor debate that spanned a few hours over two days, the Virginia Senate voted 20-20 this afternoon to direct the Board of Health to promulgate regulations for abortion centers. After a brief pause for the Senate clerk to announce the vote, Lt. Governor Bill Bolling cast his constitutionally authorized tie-breaking vote in favor of the bill. It now will go to Governor Bob McDonnell for his signature, who has long supported abortion center safety regulations. After more than two decades of hiding behind a veil of political secrecy, abortion centers in Virginia will face greater scrutiny and better health standards.

It was the first time ever that such legislation has even reached the Senate floor, despite numerous bills passed by the House. Each year, including earlier this session, the Senate killed the legislation in committee. But today, all 18 Republicans held together and two brave pro-life Democrats, Senators Phil Puckett (D-38, Tazewell) and Chuck Colgan (D-29, Manassas), resisted pressure from their caucus’ leadership.

While the session has gone according to script this year, with the House passing and the Senate Education and Health Committee killing pro-life legislation, a dramatic turn occurred only a few days ago, in the last days of session. SB 924, patroned by Senator Ryan McDougle (R-4, Hanover), passed the Senate and went to the House. There, Delegate Kathy Byron (R-22, Lynchburg), one of the pro-life leaders in the House, offered an amendment to add abortion centers. Liberals challenged its germaneness (whether the amendment fit the intent of the bill), but House Speaker Bill Howell (R-28, Fredericksburg) dismissed the objection and the House passed it overwhelmingly. That change required it to return to the Senate where the GOP caucus began to coalesce around the amendment. The vote was scheduled yesterday, but after a half-hour of debate it was passed by until today. Senate Democrat leaders pressured its two wayward colleagues but by the tenor of today’s 90-minute debate, it was apparent there were no cracks in the coalition.

Unfortunately, instead of offering logical or accurate arguments against the amendment, opponents demagogued the issue. At one point Senator Janet Howell (D-32, Fairfax) mocked Senator Mark Obenshain’s (R-26, Harrisonburg) recitation of federal court decisions upholding abortion center regulations, even though he was replying to her colleagues’ calls for proof of legal precedent. It prompted this exchange (see our blog.) Majority Leader Dick Saslaw (D-35, Springfield) told his colleagues to “get a life!” if they thought the bill was about anything other than restricting abortion, ignoring his own colleagues’ faux concerns for the Constitution.

Senator John Edwards (D-21, Roanoke) repeatedly claimed the bill was unconstitutional with wild assertions and vague stretches of case law (he was seen getting information from the ACLU outside the chamber), all of which were refuted by Senator Obenshain, who cited federal appeals and U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Senator Obenshain concluded by saying, “standing up and saying so doesn’t make it so,” and read from a court opinion which plainly disproved Senator Edwards’ assertions.

Several liberal senators predicted horrors such as back alley abortions even though states such as South Carolina regulate abortion centers with no such reports. They also claimed first-trimester abortions were among the “safest procedures” despite absolutely no corroborating evidence because there are no reporting requirements mandated in Virginia. Senator Dave Marsden (D-37, Farifax) even compared the bill to the poll tax and efforts to keep minorities from voting in the Jim Crow era.

Another desperate aspect of the debate was the demand by several liberal Democrats that Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli issue an opinion on the constitutionality of the amendment, perhaps the first time they’ve wanted his advice. Of course, it was a tactic to delay and kill the bill. Senator Edwards sarcastically said the Attorney General would love to defend the bill if it became law because of the other legal actions he’s pursued. But the fact was, and they knew it, he issued an opinion in August in support of the constitutionality of such regulations. He even accommodated Senators with a letter composed during a Senate recess – to confirm his previous opinion.

Opponents’ arguments, so twisted, inevitably contradicted each other, with Senator Howell’s unwitting admission that abortion is, in fact, used for contraception when she said the bill would take away one method of “determining the size of families.”

This was a monumental vote and a historic day. Advocates for, after years of pursuit, finally won a major pro-life victory, perhaps the most important victory since parental notification! Thank you to all who contacted their Senators on this important issue! We also thank the twenty Senators who voted for this important bill, as well as Lt. Governor Bill Bolling for the tiebreaking vote! There were also several Senators that spoke in defense of the amendment on the Senate floor, including Senators Jill Vogel (R-27, Winchester), John Watkins (R-10, Chesterfield), Steve Martin (R-11, Chesterfield), Mark Obenshain, Tommy Norment (R-3, Williamsburg), Jeff McWaters (R-8, Virginia Beach) and Bill Stanley (R-19, Franklin).

We now look forward to working within the regulatory process to ensure the regulations by the Board of Health ensure abortion centers are safe for women who make the unfortunate choice of abortion.

Action Alert: Prevent the Funding of Life-Destroying Research in Virginia

Two years ago, The Family Foundation partnered with the Virginia Catholic Conference to hammer out an agreement with the biotech community to ensure that state funded research performed in Virginia would not involve embryonic stem cells or aborted fetuses. The created clause was added to all legislation involving biotech research in Virginia thus protecting citizens of the Commonwealth from subsidizing unethical research. In 2010, the same agreement stood. Now, it’s 2011 and the debate over the pro-life amendment is once again taking place.

There are several bills this year originating from both chambers that would provide research and development tax credits to biotech companies. In order to prevent the funding of unethical research, each and every bill must include the pro-life amendment. In a House Finance committee earlier this week, an amendment in line with the 2009 and 2010 pro-life amendment was added to one of these bills (HB 1447) and votes will be cast on the amended bill on the floor of the House of Delegates early next week.

The Family Foundation and our pro-life partners at the Catholic Conference firmly believe that Virginia taxpayers should not be asked to pay for or subsidize research that involves the destruction of human embryos or the use of aborted fetuses. Not only is such research unethical, embryonic stem cell research has been a complete failure. It is for that reason researchers cannot get private donations. No one wants to pour money into a failure. So researchers have turned to who else – the government – to subsidize failure. If we are going to subsidize research in Virginia, it should be in adult stem cell research that is producing real results – real science providing real hope and real cures.

It is crucial that your legislator hear from you today on this issue. Legislators need to hear that the funding of life-destroying research will not be tolerated in the Commonwealth. Contact your Delegate today and urge him or her to cast a vote in acknowledgment of the sanctity of human life.

ACTION: Please contact your Delegate by clicking the link below and urge them to support amendments to bills that prohibit taxpayer subsidizing of unethical and failed research.

Click the link below to log in and send your message:
http://www.votervoice.net/link/target/vaff/RzNfMKfG.aspx

Information Alert: Senate Kills Life Bills, Passes Threats to Family

If the past two days aren’t evidence enough that the state Senate must be changed, I honestly don’t know what is.

In a 24 hour period since yesterday’s noon session, the Senate of Virginia, where Democrats hold a slim 22-18 majority, has passed several bills that undermine the values of Virginia while defeating common sense measures that would reduce the number of abortions in Virginia while advancing a culture of life.

Yesterday, the Senate passed legislation adding sexual orientation to state government’s non-discrimination law (SB 747), a bill that state government agencies the ability to provide domestic partner benefits (SB 1122) and a proposal that is an attack on Virginia’s abstinence centered family life education policy (SB 967).

In this morning’s Senate Education and Health committee, five pro-life bills were defeated, including legislation that would have provided women seeking an abortion an opportunity to view an ultrasound (SB 1435), created wrongful death protections for the unborn (SB 1207 and SB 1378), criminalized the act of coercing someone to have an abortion (SB 1217). The committee also rejected a bill that would have prohibited health insurance companies that provide elective abortion coverage from participating in the exchanges required by President Obama’s federal health insurance scheme (SB 1202).

As in past years, the state Senate has proven to be a killing field for pro-family, pro-life legislation, as well as the source of bills that undermine Virginia’s values. The question now becomes, are pro-family Virginians finally tired of this? If so, in November of this year all 40 members of the state Senate will face reelection. Let’s face it – having the truth and the facts on our side, having a professional team of advocates to influence legislators, having a grassroots network across Virginia simply isn’t enough. We have to change the people who sit in that chamber.

This year is our opportunity to break through this barrier and change the future of Virginia. We need to add more CONSERVATIVE voices to the state Senate. When there was a Republican majority in the Senate in the past the outcome wasn’t much better. We need principled conservatives in office. The Family Foundation and The Family Foundation Action will do everything possible to ensure that Virginians know exactly what the stakes are and which candidates for office will stand with us – and which stand against us – this year as the elections approach. Please click here to learn more about our Ignite campaign and how you can help.

Please also know that there are several members of the Senate (15) that voted with The Family Foundation on every one of the bills (your was not one of them). We thank them for their stand on principle. We especially thank those Senators who carried pro-life legislation this year, including Mark Obenshain (R-26, Harrisonburg), Ralph Smith (R-22, Roanoke) and Bill Stanley (R-19, Chatham).

In order to respond to the majority of those who serve in our Military who do not want “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repealed (according to the Pentagon Study, page 49), I introduced HB 2474 to preserve DADT policy for the Virginia National Guard which is primarily the responsibility of state government except when called into Federal Service by the President. Still, Virginia is in charge of enlistments.

The Department of Defense reported that of Marine combat troops, 32 percent said they would leave service early and another 16.2 percent would consider leaving early if DADT were repealed. Of Army combat troops, 21.4 percent would leave and 14.6 percent would consider leaving. No foreign enemy could have delivered a more devastating blow to our Armed Forces. This manpower loss could precipitate a return to a compulsory military draft. President Obama believes women should register for the Selective Service. (Pittsburg Post-Gazette, October 13, 2008).

Rather than be paralyzed into inaction by a recent speculation by the Attorney General that Congress could theoretically condition federal funding to the Virginia National Guard at some future time, is this not a matter on which Virginia should take the lead, protecting our National Guard servicemen and women and urging other sovereign states to do the same, especially since the Repeal of DADT (and 232 years of military policy and 6000 years of religious and moral tradition) was passed into law by a Lame Duck Congress on a weekend before Christmas, on a bill dealing with Small Technology!

Had the President waited one month to allow the new Congress to vote on this matter, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” would not have been repealed. The present Congress would not have allowed such a massive social experiment in a time of war.

Please contact the members of the Rules Committee below and ask them to support HB 2474. Thank you.
Delegate Bill Howell delbhowell@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1028
Delegate Lacey Putney dellputney@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1019
Delegate Steve Landes delslandes@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1025
Delegate Kirk Cox delkcox@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1066
Delegate Terry Kilgore deltkilgore@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1001
Delegate Lee Ware dellware@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1065
Delegate Bill Janis delbjanis@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1056
Delegate Rob Bell delrbell@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1058
Delegate Bev Sherwood delbsherwood@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1029
Delegate Wat Abbitt delegatewabbitt@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1059
Delegate Johnny Joannou No email 804-698-1079
Delegate Joe Johnson deljjohnston@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1004
Delegate Ward Armstrong delwarmstrong@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1010
Delegate Kenny Plum delkplum@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1036
Delegate Kenny Alexander delkalexander@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1089

HOUSE BILL NO. 2474
Offered January 21, 2011
A BILL to amend and reenact § 44-2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to eligibility for service in the Virginia National Guard.

The group will host its annual Day at the Capitol and school choice rally on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011 at the Richmond Convention Center. Sign up today! Already, the Family Foundation has sent out alerts related to pro-life bills that will be introduced shortly, related to wrongful death of the unborn (Baby Bill), and no state funding of abortion under Obamacare.

“We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with Family Research Council, American Family Association, Concerned Women of America, National Organization for Marriage, Liberty Counsel and other pro-family organizations that are working to protect and promote natural marriage and family. We support the vigorous but responsible exercise of the First Amendment rights of free speech and religious liberty that are the birthright of all Americans.”