THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 10, 1996 TAG: 9605090194
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: Election '96
SOURCE: BY DAVE ADDIS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 121 lines
FACING A BALLOT that would choke a goat and braving a gully-washer of a spring rainstorm, Virginia Beach voters broke into two distinct camps Tuesday: Those who will climb any hurdle to cast a ballot, and those who wouldn't turn out if the issues were simple and the sun always shining.
Of the city's 160,754 registered voters, more than 42,600, or just over 26.5 percent, turned up at the polls. That follows historical patterns for a spring municipal election, said Marlene Hager, the city registrar.
``Well, it was almost right on the money from what we expected,'' Hager said Wednesday morning. ``We told most people we were expecting 42,000, and I think we had something over 42,600.'' The city has about 425,000 residents.
Tuesday's turnout in Virginia Beach was off by about 1,000 from the 1994 city election, Hager said. The complexity of the ballot or the bad turn of the weather might have contributed to the turnout, she said, but neither seemed to have a significant impact.
``I would not even hazard a guess,'' Hager said. ``It could have been a little of either of those, but it was a pretty typical turnout for Virginia Beach. We usually run between 25 and 30 percent.'' The number of absentee ballots filed before Election Day is a good barometer of how the turnout will go, she said.
By comparison, Norfolk turned out 26 percent of its voters with just two council races on the ballot. Chesapeake saw 35 percent of its voters take part, and in Portsmouth, with a high-interest mayoral race atop the ballot, 47 percent of registered voters showed up.
``I really think we had some people who were determined to come out to vote,'' Hager said, ``because some of the candidates did very well.''
The determination Hager spoke of was evident in interviews with dozens of voters at polling places across the city Tuesday.
Robert Motley showed up at Rosemont Forest Elementary School at 8:30 a.m. with his push-pin strategies all sorted out. He said he sympathized with anyone who faced the lengthy ballot unprepared and undecided.
It would be like sorting through a pile of refuse not really knowing what you're looking for, Motley said. The ballot choices would have ``looked like Mount Trashmore - an enormous mountain of trash.''
Motley reasoned that unprepared voters would go with whatever names they saw first. ``They'd pick the first names,'' he said. ``How would you know?''
Motley, who moved here from New Jersey, said voters in his home state get a sample ballot in the mail before an election. He would like to see that happen here.
Susan Cofer, who voted at Brandon Middle School, was another who'd done her homework. Had she not, she said, she would have been lost.
``It would have been overwhelming,'' she said, ``like putting your hand in a box and picking out a name.'' An election with such a large field of candidates points up the pitfalls of the system, she said. ``You have to be informed.''
Some just toughed it out, trying to make last-minute choices. Juanita Barrington walked into Green Run Elementary School without a clue as to whom to vote for.
``It's a lot of people,'' said the school cafeteria monitor. ``I was reading the signs as I walked up and I still don't know.''
Del Runyon, who escaped the rain over a cup of coffee at Jenro's Coffee House in Haygood Shopping Center, said he was likely to vote later in the day, but he admitted he hadn't studied the candidate field.
``Yup, it's a mess,'' Runyon said. ``I'll just figure it out when I get there.''
In stark contrast to those who'd done their homework, or at least had the courage to face the ballot unprepared, were those across the city, away from the polling places, who were resolutely unaware of what was at stake.
``I have no idea what's going on,'' said Amy Dunn, carrying her little boy into Kmart at Kemps River shopping center. ``I haven't paid any attention to any of it.''
``It's raining!'' her son announced.
One after another, people leaving the store brushed aside questions about the election.
``I haven't even given any thought to it,'' said one woman in a hurry.
``I have no idea,'' said another.
``Oh, my goodness, I'm going (to vote) now,'' another said, but confessed she didn't know who was running. ``I'll probably get some handouts when I get there.''
The response from Sandy Greene, who was arranging flower pots outside the Rose's store at Haygood Shopping Center, was not untypical: ``Election? Election on what?''
Across the parking lot, outside the city treasurer's branch office, Launie Wenger was ducking the rain as adroitly as she was ducking the candidates.
``I don't follow it at all,'' she said. ``What's the voting for today? I thought it was later, in the summer.''
Advised that City Council and School Board seats were being decided, she popped her umbrella, shook her head, and before disappearing into the downpour said, ``I don't follow all that, there's just no time. It's all too confusing.
``You just elect somebody and they say they're going to do good things, and then they just do the same as the last ones.'' MEMO: Staff writers Aleta Payne, Debbie Messina, Nancy Lewis and Paul Clancy
contributed to this report.
ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DAVID B. HOLLINGSWORTH
Meyera Oberndorf is congratulated by Donald Morgan during her
runaway victory for a record third term as mayor.
The winners
Top photo by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
Bottom photo by DAVID B. HOLLINGSWORTH
ABOVE: Reba McClanan gets a kiss from her daughter, Anne, as
election results started to trickle in on Tuesday night, showing her
leading for the Princess Anne borough seat on the City Council.
McClanan, who had been on council from 1980 to 1992, unseated Robert
Dean.
LEFT: Harold Heischober, left, goes over positive results with one
of his supporters, Vice Mayor Will Sessoms. Heischober, a former
councilman and mayor who had been appointed to a vacant council
seat, won an at-large four-year seat.
KEYWORDS: ELECTION VIRGINIA BEACH VOTING RETURNS
RESULTS by CNB