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May 2002
Charlottesville City Council Race 2002: Many Cast Vote for Only One
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"More than 1,200 Charlottesville voters chose only one candidate in Tuesday’s City Council election, in what may have been a vindication of city Republicans’ strategy of encouraging residents to throw away their second vote.

“That’s a huge amount” of so-called “undervotes,” city voter registrar Sheri Iachetta said. “That’s three times the amount that we had in the last election.”

Undervotes are tallied by multiplying the number of individuals casting votes times the number of votes they are allowed to cast and then subtracting the number of votes they actually cast.

There were 1,240 undervotes in the 2002 Charlottesville City Council election. 4,374 voters cast 7,508 votes or approximately 1.7 votes per person in a two-way race.

This compares with the 2000 Charlottesville City Council election, where undervotes numbered 724. 5,214 voters cast 14,918 votes or approximately 2.9 votes per person in a three-way race.

In the 1998 Charlottesville City Council election, undervotes numbered 826. 4,503 voters cast 8,180 votes or approximately 1.8 votes per person in a two-way race.

In the 1996 Charlottesville City Council election, undervotes numbered 2,685. 4,181 voters cast 9,858 votes or approximately 2.4 votes per person in a three-way race.

Note: These figures are based on the final official election returns. The original returns charts for each year show the unofficial figures. Differences between official and unofficial returns are usually minimal.

Though it is impossible to tell for certain which candidate the single votes went to, some Republicans had encouraged their supporters to vote only for the GOP’s Rob Schilling, even though there were two contested council seats. The maneuver, known as single-shotting, was intended to keep Schilling supporters from voting for other candidates and hurting his chances.

Some Republicans also encouraged voters to write in the name of party member and former council candidate Jon Bright as a way of avoiding voting for the other candidates.

The idea may have paid off: In a race in which 84 votes separated the worst-performing winner from the best-performing loser, Bright led write-in candidates with 33 votes for various spellings of his name [actually 36, if you include absentee ballots].

In the 2000 Charlottesville City Council election, 777 votes separated the worst-performing winner Kevin Lynch from the best-performing loser Jon Bright.

In the 1998 Charlottesville City Council election, 666 votes separated worst-performing winner Blake Caravati from best-performing loser Michael Crafaik.

In the 1996 Charlottesville City Council election, 719 votes separated worst-performing winner Virginia Daugherty from best performing loser Michael Crafaik.

The write-in candidate with the second-most votes was Waldo Jaquith, who narrowly missed getting a Democratic nomination in February but who since has discouraged supporters from voting for him. The various spellings of Jaquith’s name totaled 20 votes, including one for “WALDOO.”

Though Jaquith said Wednesday that he was “flattered” by the support, he added, “I’m pleased to know that I got so few votes. I’d hate to think that votes had gone to me that could have gone to Alexandria Searls. I still think it’s 20 too many.”

Others receiving write-in votes included Councilor David J. Toscano [1 by regular ballot and 1 by absentee ballot], who is leaving the council in July; former Democratic candidates Bern Ewert [1], Joan Fenton [1] and David Simmons [3]; and former mayor Tom Vandever [1].

[Former city council candidate in 2000, John Pfaltz also received 3 write-in votes.]

Notable Americans and local residents past and present also picked up votes. They included UVa President John T. Casteen III [1], “ELANOR ROOSEVELT [1],” Harriet Tubman [1], Jerry Garcia [1] and “UVA PROFESSOR SABATO [1 by regular ballot and one by absentee ballot].”

[The Green Party also received 1 write-in by regular ballot; the Natural Law Party received 1 write-in by absentee ballot; and Huja, David Brown and Rose Ferreri all received 1 write-in each by regular ballot.]

There was one vote for “LOWER VOLLEYBALL FEES” [1] and one for “SPIDER MAN,” prompting Jaquith to quip, “At least I got more than Spider-Man.” (Jake Mooney, The Daily Progress, May 9, 2002).

In the 1998 Charlottesville City Council election, write-ins included 4 votes for Neil Gropen, who lost the Democratic nomination that year and individual votes for Forrest Gump, Winston Churchill Gooding, Kevin Lynch (now serving on the Charlottesville City Council), 1 for Joe Mooney, and 1 for Tom Morgan (now in New Orleans).

In the 2000 Charlottesville City Council election, write-ins included 6 for Republican Chair Michael Crafaik (who lost the race for city council in 1996 and 1998 and was later involved in a lively dispute with Dale McGlothlin); 5 for David Simmons, who lost the Democratic nomination that year; 1 for Peter McIntosh who also lost the Democratic nomination that year; and 1 for Jerry Garcia.


Comments? Questions? Write me at george@loper.org.