Voter registration rises

Voter registration rises

Voter registration has risen slightly in Virginia during the months preceding the Nov. 4 election, but figures from the state Board of Elections show some communities lost hundreds of voters.

In Charlottesville, Danville and Petersburg, election officials attribute declines in registered voters to apathy about the upcoming election. Congressional candidates in the three cities are unopposed, and no exciting local issues are on the ballot, they said.

“There’s nothing politically going on at all,” said Charlotte Riddick, general registrar in Charlottesville, which had a decrease of 575 registered voters this year. “I’m afraid Election Day is going to be very long.”

Petersburg lost 551 registered voters for a loss of 2.9 percent, and Danville dropped 678 voters to fall to 3.2 percent. Richmond is down 2.9 percent, or 3,244 registered voters, according to figures released last week.

Susan Fitz-Hugh, secretary to the state Board of Elections, said 2.61 million Virginians are registered to vote this November, a net increase of 15,318 since the first of the year. Fairfax County, with a 4.7 percent increase in registered voters, increased its voter rolls by 16,799.

Fauquier County had a net increase of 158 voters, from 16,807 in December 1985 to 16,965 on Oct. 16. That represents an increase of .94 percent.

Loudoun County had a net increase of 1,453 registered voters this year, or 4.7 percent. A $50.3 million school-bond referendum stirred interest in the Nov. 4 election and prompted residents to register, said assistant registrar Judy Brown.

Candidates spend $1M

Candidates in each of two Virginia congressional races will likely spend at least $1 million in their quest for the House seats, quarterly financial statements show.

Early reports showed candidates for the 10th District seat in Northern Virginia are waging a million-dol