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By Matt de Simone
It’s “Decision 2024.”
On November 5, Americans cast their votes and decide who will be the 47th President.
At this point, the most anyone is clearly aware of the Republican and Democrat vying for the office. It’s current Vice President Kamala Harris (D) in a presidential race with former 46th President of the United States Donald Trump (R). Democrat Tim Walz, the acting governor of Minnesota, was selected by Harris on August 6 to be her running mate. One month prior, Trump chose Republican Senator J.D. Vance (Ohio) to join him on the ticket.
Along with the Republican and Democratic candidates, four other presidential hopefuls join Harris and Trump. Jill Stein (G) is running again in 2024 after she was first selected as the Green Party nominee in 2016. Chase Oliver (L) ran for Senate in Georgia in 2022. He became the Libertarian nominee in May. Independent candidates Claudia De la Cruz of New York and Cornel West of Oklahoma round out the list of presidential contenders.
Additionally, Virginians will choose the who will fill positions in the U.S. Senate (six-year term) and U.S. House of Representatives (two-year term). Tim Kaine (D) is the incumbent U.S. Senator of Virginia who joined the office in 2012 after a term as governor of Virginia. Republican Hung Cao, a retired U.S. Navy captain, is opposing Kaine following an unsuccessful run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives 10th Congressional District in 2022.
In the race to become a member of the House of Representatives 6th Congressional District, incumbent Ben Cline (R), Ken Mitchell (D), and Independent Robert Wells Jr. will vie for the office.
Botetourt County sees the precincts of Fincastle, Troutville, and Buchanan holding elections for local positions. Mayoral elections will be held in two of those. Christopher Witt and Susan Way are running for mayor in the Town of Buchanan, and in Troutville, current Mayor Mike Manfield runs unopposed.
Each precinct will also decide on elections for its respective town councils. In Buchanan, James Manspile, Daniel Bratcher, Edith Austin, Brenda Noszek, and Brent Witt seek one of two council seats up for election.
Fincastle’s Town Council election includes current council member James Reynolds joined by candidates Clay Fitzgerald, Barry Rakes, John Saunders, Andrew Clemons, and Kathleen Cornelison for three available seats.
Henry Cook Jr., Granville Grant, and Spurgeon Vaughan Jr. are up for the three Troutville Town Council positions on the ballot this year. In a Special Election of Troutville’s council, Jonathan Simmons is on the ballot for an unexpired term ending on December 31, 2025.
Lastly, voters will have the chance to vote on a Virginia Constitutional Amendment asking voters if the tax exemption that is currently available to the surviving spouses of soldiers killed in action should also be available to the surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty.
According to the state, presently, the Virginia Constitution requires that all property be taxed. It also sets out specific types of property that may be exempted from taxation. Currently, the Virginia Constitution allows the General Assembly to exempt from taxation the principal place of residence of the surviving spouse of any soldier who is determined by the U.S. Department of Defense to have been killed in action. The proposed amendment would expand this current tax exemption so that it is available to all surviving spouses of soldiers who are determined by the U.S. Department of Defense to have died in the line of duty, including those who have been killed in action.
A “yes” vote would allow the surviving spouse of a soldier who died in the line of duty to claim the same real property tax exemption on their principal place of residence that is currently only available to the surviving spouses of soldiers who are killed in action. A “no” vote will not allow such additional surviving spouses to claim the real property tax exemption.
As a reminder, the last day to request a mailed absentee ballot is Friday, October 25 at 5 p.m. The last day for in-person early voting is Saturday, November 2 at 5 p.m.
The Botetourt County Registrar’s Office will be open on Saturday, October 26 from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. for in-person early voting. The office will also be open on Saturday, November 2 from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. for the final day of in-person early voting.
All voters wishing to vote on Election Day must do so in their assigned precinct based on their residential address. There is no voting in the Registrar’s Office on election day. Voters can check the status of their voter registration or find their polling location at vote.virginia.gov.
For more information, including a look at sample ballots in respective precincts, visit www.botetourtva.gov/405/Election-Information.
