HomeLifeStyle Page 9 Classifieds, Page 10 Classifieds, v Opinion, Page 4 Off To The Races In Great Falls News, Page 6 Great Falls Rotarians - from left: Sean Plunkett (organizer of this event), Eileen Curtis, Dan Lun- deen, Roz Drayer and Stephen Clark - hosted a The Pandemic Election charity event that raised $10,000 for Lift Me Up! News, Page 3 Requested in home 11-12-20 home in Requested Time sensitive material. material. sensitive Time Attention Postmaster: Postmaster: Attention ECR WSS ECR Venture Virtually into Customer Postal permit #322 permit Easton, MD Easton, Artists’ Creative Spaces PAID U.S. Postage U.S. News, Page 5 STD PRSRT Photo by Mercia Hobson/The Connection by Mercia Hobson/The Photo November 11-17, 2020 online at www.connectionnewspapers.com 2 v Great Falls Connection v November 11-17, 2020 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com News Virginia voters support Biden, Warner and The Pandemic Election a new redistricting commission. By Michael Lee Pope the measure,” the statement said. “The peo- The Connection ple who pushed Amendment 1 know of its flaws, and it is now incumbent upon them wenty years ago, Virginia was to seek real solutions to fix those flaws, not a red state. Republicans scored just lip-service efforts like ‘consideration’ of Virginia’s electoral votes in every Virginia’s diversity.” Tpresidential election since LBJ Now that voters have approved of the new was reelected in 1964. Republicans held Virginia Redistricting Commission, retired both U.S. Senate seats. The Grand Old Par- circuit court judges from across Virginia will ty had all the statewide offices, a majority be sending resumes to the Virginia Supreme of the congressional delegation and both Court. The chief judge of the court has until chambers of the General Assembly. That was Nov. 15 to select a list of 10 judges to submit the environment when Mark Warner and to the General Assembly, where Democrats Tim Kaine, both Democrats, ran for gover- in the House and Senate get to pick two nor and lieutenant governor. judges and Republicans in the House and “Over the last 20 years, we’ve engineered Senate get to pick two judges. Those four the biggest political turnaround in the Unit- judges will select a fifth judge to complete ed States of any of the 50 states,” said Sen. the panel, and they will select citizen mem- Tim Kaine as he watched voting totals on bers from a list submitted by the General As- election night. “Partly it’s our population. sembly. The deadline for candidates to file Partly it’s Democrats in Virginia. We govern for office is March 25, which means maps in a way that we’re practical progressives. must be finished by then. We’re solving people’s problems, and that’s a good model.” Photo by Susan Laume/The Connection The 2020 presidential election has yet to Democratic Party committee poll watchers offered a sample ballot card instead of “The only way we’re be resolved. But Virginia is now a solidly hand-out information in a nod to Covid-19 safety, here at Pohick Precinct, and polling blue state, delivering 13 electoral votes to places throughout Fairfax County. Republican Party workers used the traditional writ- going to be able to Joe Biden and handing Mark Warner a third ten sample ballot method. term in the United States Senate. Election defeat that and tru- officials will continue receiving mail-in votes until Friday at noon, although the results of ly build back better all the key races have already been deter- Fairfax County Unofficial Results mined. One result that is clear, though, is the is if Americans be- PRESIDENT AMENDMENT 1 (REDISTRICTING) success of a constitutional amendment cre- Joe Biden: 405,000 votes, 70 percent Yes: 301,000 votes, 54 percent come united. That ating a new 16-member redistricting com- Donald Trump: 162,000 votes, 28 percent No: 259,000 votes, 46 percent mission to draw political boundaries for the Jo Jorgensen: 7,000 votes, 1 percent General Assembly and Congress. AMENDMENT 2 means ending the “Tonight is historic,” declared FairMapsVA SENATE Yes: 508,000, 77 percent executive director Brian Cannon and cam- Mark Warner (D): 401,000 votes, 70 percent No: 156,000, 24 percent kind of attack rheto- Daniel Gade: 172,000 votes, 30 percent paign co-chairs Wyatt Durrette and Bobby COMMUNITY HEALTH AND HUMAN Vassar. “Virginia has now become the first ric and mean-spirit- HOUSE DISTRICT 8 SERVICES BOND state in the South to create a bipartisan re- Don Beyer: 124,000 votes, 72 percent Yes: 508,000 votes, 77 percent districting commission to draw electoral dis- Jeff Jordan: 48,000 votes, 28 percent No: 156,000 votes, 23 percent edness that too of- trict lines.” HOUSE DISTRICT 10 PARKS BOND ten has infected our Jennifer Wexton: 70,000 votes, 60 percent AT THE TOP of the ticket, Warner scored a Yes: 408,000 votes, 72 percent Aliscia Andrews: 46,000 votes, 39 percent No: 155,000 votes, 28 percent solid victory against Republican Daniel Gade political discourse.” — Sen. Mark Warner although Biden had more votes and a larger HOUSE DISTRICT 11 LIBRARY BOND margin of victory. Appearing at his campaign Gerry Connolly (D), 198,889, 72 percent Yes: 372,000 votes, 66 percent headquarters in Del Ray, Warner called on Manga Anantatmula, 82,044, 28 percent No: 191,000 votes, 34 percent Republicans and Democrats to put the divi- SOURCE: Votes cast in Fairfax County only. “The legislators cannot control or override TRANSPORTATION BONDS sive campaign in the past and look ahead to Congressional Districts include other jurisdic- the citizen voices as six of the eight citizen surviving the health risks posed by the pan- Yes: 381,000 votes, 68 percent members must vote for any map for it to be tions. www.fairfaxcounty.gov/elections/sites/ No: 182,000 votes, 32 percent demic and the economic uncertainty caused elections/files/assets/result/resu1120.pdf approved,” said state Sen. George Barker by the downturn. (D-39), who was one of the leading voices “The only way we’re going to be able to in support of the amendment. “Additionally, defeat that and truly build back better is if theless, Republicans are facing an uncertain amendment. It was an issue that split Dem- the voting rules also preclude the types of Americans become united,” said Warner, future in a state that has gone from ruby red ocrats in Virginia, with Senate Democrats outcomes we have had previously because speaking to a room of journalists and staff- to deep blue. supporting the amendment and House the maps cannot unduly favor either polit- ers. “That means ending the kind of attack “They have to denounce Trumpism,” said Democrats mostly in opposition. FairMaps- ical party.” rhetoric and mean-spiritedness that too of- former Republican Del. David Ramadan VA, which supported the amendment, The redistricting amendment was not ten has infected our political discourse.” (R-87), who is now at the Schar School of raised more than $2 million to support the the only successful ballot initiative on the For now, though, the political discourse Policy and Government at George Mason ballot initiative. Fair Districts, which op- ballot. Voters across Virginia also approved remains at a fever pitch. At press time, the University. “They have to denounce white posed the amendment, accused the cam- an amendment creating tax breaks for vet- presidential election is unresolved. Two hot- supremacy and go back to the basics of con- paign of using big money donors to tilt the erans. Voters in Fairfax approved bonds for ly contested congressional seats in Virginia servative principles versus winking at white outcome. transportation, libraries, parks and health are too close to call. And lawyers are pre- supremacy and nationalism.” “Our campaign was truly a grassroots and human services. In Norfolk, voters ap- paring for a season of legal challenges and campaign that was outspent over 50 to 1 proved a new waterfront resort and casi- trench warfare in the courts challenging FOR VIRGINIA, the most important re- by out-of-state dark money groups and was no, which will be built by the Pamunkey state election laws on signature matches and sult of the election might end up being the fighting an uphill battle against biased lan- Indian Tribe on the Elizabeth River next to late-arriving mail-in absentee ballots. Never- amendment creating the new constitutional guage on the ballot meant to gain votes for Harbor Park. www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Great Falls Connection v November 11-17, 2020 v 3 Opinion Great Falls www.ConnectionNewspapers.com An independent, locally owned weekly newspaper delivered to homes and businesses. Hail to the Chief-Elect Published by Local Media Connection LLC By Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum Commentary State Delegate (D-36) his usual inspiring way he told us, “I come away 1606 King Street Alexandria, Virginia 22314 with an unyielding belief that if we only had a ears welled up in my ing with that kind of attitude will government as responsible as all of you, as com- Free digital edition delivered to eyes last Saturday go a long way toward his success passionate as the American people, that there is your email box. Go to evening as the Presi- in being a unifier. no obstacle that we can’t overcome. There is no connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe Tdent-elect Joe Biden My interest in politics goes destiny that we cannot fulfill.” and the Vice President-elect Ka- back to my teenage years and In an echo of President Kennedy’s words, for- NEWS DEPARTMENT: mala Harris addressed their sup- has been influenced by the great mer President Obama this fall challenged the [email protected] porters and the nation for the first speeches I have heard, not simply country with his words, “Change will not come time after having been declared for the words that were said but if we wait for some other person or if we wait Kemal Kurspahic the winners of the presidential because of the hope they offered for some other time.