With early voting around the corner, residents will soon have the opportunity to cast their ballots for state and local elections.
In Williamsburg, residents will be voting on a commissioner of the revenue race while James City County voters will have board of supervisor and School Board races on the ballot.
There are several state seats on ballots, including the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and house of delegate seats.
Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, (D), Glenn Youngkin, (R), and Princess Blanding (I), will appear on the governor’s ballot. Hala Ayala, (D), and Winsome Sears (R) are running for lieutenant governor. Mark Herring, (D), is seeking re-election against Jason Miyares, (R). In the 93rd district, incumbent Mike Mullin, (D), will be on the ballot along with Jordan Gray, (R).
Here’s everything to know ahead of the upcoming election.
James City County
School Board
There are two Williamsburg-James City County School Board seats up for grabs this year in the Powhatan and Jamestown districts.
In the Powhatan District, incumbent Lisa Ownby will not seek re-election. With a vacant seat, two candidates are vying for the position.
Former Williamsburg-James City County teacher Kimberly Hundley is running for the Powhatan District seat.
According to Hundley, she made the decision to run after receiving endorsements from folks in her community along with Ownby, the current seat holder.
If elected, Hundley said she would focus her attention on advocating for smaller class sizes, better access to preschool, hire more teachers and help bridge the learning loss gap.
Currently, Hundley is working with James Madison University’s teaching pilot program in which young teachers sign on to Williamsburg-James City County Schools with a three-year contract. This has helped maintain teacher retention, Hundley said.
With more than 30 years of experience as an educator, Hundley said she has the experience and understands how school systems function. She said that, while the School Board is an independent governing body, things have become highly politicized, and she said she plans to work hand-in-hand with School Board members to ensure they are making the right decisions for the division.
Former federal government diplomat Tye Lageman is also vying for the Powhatan District seat.
According to Lageman, his decision to run came after he moved back to Williamsburg from Portland, Oregon. While in Portland, he said he witnessed the school division’s leftist ideologies and did not want to see the same thing happen in the W-JCC School Division.
As he met with others in the community, Lageman said they felt similarly and suggested he run. Lageman said he is running on a platform denouncing critical race theory and the current masking mandates.
While Superintendent Olwen Herron announced at a board meeting that the division does not teach critical race theory, Lageman said the Virginia Department of Education’s required readings say otherwise.
The required readings focus on being culturally responsive and inclusive for all students as well as promoting equity.
Lageman said if elected, he would like to implement a different approach to wearing masks in schools. Currently, by mandate of the state, all students, faculty and staff indefinitely are required to wear masks at all times while inside school buildings.
While he said he agrees that mask-wearing is important, the kids should have the option to remove them in certain situations. For example, if students are in a classroom and are socially distanced, then they should be able to remove their masks.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s current recommendation is that those who are not vaccinated wear their masks at all times while indoors.
Lageman said if elected, he would push for more vocational training options. Additionally, he said he would like to expand the public school division’s resources to children outside of the division, such as if homeschooled kids would like to join in on extracurricular activities, they should have the option, Lageman said.
– Original Credit: Katherine Sparks
With Chairman Jim Kelly’s decision to not seek re-election, the Jamestown District seat is open and W-JCC parent Sarah Ortego is looking to fill the seat.
With a background in government and a long stint on Capitol Hill as a strategic communications manager, Ortego said she has the experience, both in politics and as a parent, to fill the position.
Amid the pandemic, Ortego said she witnessed firsthand the struggles of virtual learning and a lack of communication between the division and parents.
If elected, Ortego said her first priority would be to push for transparency between the board and its constituents. This includes holding monthly town hall meetings in which folks can ask questions and hear responses from their representatives.
Additionally, Ortego said she would like to create opportunities with other community organizations and students to prepare them for their future careers. According to Ortego, this could include vocational training with some of the region’s industry leaders, internships with local businesses or if on the college track, exploring the College of William & Mary.
If elected, Ortego said her goal is to have the division stand out against other divisions in the state. A strong school system affects the housing and job market as well as the region’s attractability, Ortego said.
Ortego said, while she agrees with the mask mandates, she would like to see benchmarks put into place for transparency. So, by a certain date, if the region sees a decrease in a certain amount of cases, then restrictions should be lessened, Ortego said. By setting a goal, she said it might incentivize folks to follow it.
Currently, Ortego is the only name on the ballot; however, Williamsburg resident Dan Lukich announced he is running as a write-in candidate.
Board of Supervisors
Two James City Board of Supervisors seats are up for re-election in the Powhatan and Jamestown districts. Both are running unopposed.
Powhatan District representative Michael Hipple was first elected to the board in 2013, served as vice-chair in 2014 and is the current chairman. If elected this would be his third term.
Hipple is president of Michael J. Hipple Builder, Inc., a general contracting business specializing in renovation, remodeling and building custom homes in the county and surrounding area for nearly 30 years.
Supervisor Jim Icenhour has represented the Jamestown District for 12 years. Icenhour was first elected in 2005 and has served three terms. While on the board, he has served as chairman twice.
If elected, Icenhour will serve a fourth term. According to Icenhour, the plan in the next election cycle is to continue his efforts to manage county growth and maintain bipartisanship as a board.
Williamsburg
Commissioner of the Revenue
Lara Overy was first elected as Williamsburg’s commissioner of the revenue in 2017 and began her four-year term in 2018. Now, Overy is running unopposed.
As commissioner of the revenue, Overy is responsible for enforcing compliance with state and local tax laws, discovering and enrolling everyone and all property for state and local taxation, assessing local taxes and assisting taxpayers.
During her first term, Overy said she has improved processes, increased compliance with the law which resulted in additional revenue for the city and implemented an audit program.
If re-elected, Overy said she plans to continue to serve the city and its residents and continuing to move toward modernizing the office.
“We have made a lot of great strides in the office, updating and modernizing our technology and procedures,” Overy said. “We’ve digitized all of our records, and we’ve made sure that every citizen is fairly and equitably taxed and I look forward to continuing to do that job.”
When to vote
Early voting begins Sept. 17. Residents will have the opportunity to cast ballots from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday until Oct. 30. Additionally, folks will have the opportunity to vote on two Saturdays, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 23 and Oct. 30 in James City County and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 23 and Oct. 30 in Williamsburg.
Folks can also request a mail-in ballot through elections.virginia.gov or request one through the local registrars’ office. Ballots may be returned via postage-paid envelopes or at ballot drop-off boxes which can be located online at williamsburgva.gov or jamescitycountyva.gov. Oct. 22 is the last day to request a mail-in ballot. Applications must be received by 5 p.m.
The polls will open on Election Day, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., Nov. 2. As long as voters are in line by 7 p.m., they will still be allowed to vote.
Where to vote
For Williamsburg’s early voters, folks can cast their ballots at the Municipal Building, 401 Lafayette St.
James City County’s early voters will cast their ballots at the James City County Vote Center inside of the Recreation Center, 5301 Longhill Road.
On Election Day, folks will vote at their designated polling places. Polling places are displayed on each voter card or you can look yours up at elections.virginia.gov, williamsburgva.gov or jamescitycountyva.gov.
Folks can check their registration status at elections.virginia.gov.
All voters need to bring to vote is identification. Proof of voter registration is not required. Valid identifications include: Virginia DMV-issued photo identification; Virginia driver’s license; United States passport; an employer-issued identification; a tribal enrollment identification that has been issued by one of the tribes recognized by the state; or a student identification issued by a school, college or university in Virginia.
Residents can request a Virginia voter identification card for free by visiting a local voter registration office, even on the day of the election.
If someone has a complaint or concern, they can contact the Virginia Department of Elections or the local voter registrar. The state office can be reached at 1-800-9745 or visit elections.virginia.gov/voter-complaints.
Samples of the ballots voters will fill out while early voting or on Election Day can be found on local government websites.
Williamsburg: bit.ly/3jXbAwf.
James City County: bit.ly/3A5hH7m.
Em Holter, emily.holter@virginiamedia.com, 757-256-6657, @EmHolterNews.
