In this post, we’re sharing some info on Early Voting! Remember to tag us @we_vote_va in any of your voting pictures for us to share 😁🗳
We also have a super brief policy breakdown into last week’s Governor debate. These are just a few of the policy points they made and can be compared. Not noted on the post (for lack of space) The two had some common ground, on one question involved whether to continue allowing police officers qualified immunity against lawsuits over actions they take in the line of duty. Glenn Youngkin expressed strong opposition to ending qualified immunity and Terry McAuliffe said he also opposes changing the law.
NOTE: Candidate Princess Blanding was not on the debate stage. From our understanding, she was not invited to debate and we were not given any follow-up on why. With that, moderator Susan Page did note during the recorded debate that “all serious candidates were invited to debate”. View the recorded debate linked in our bio.
Here are this week's Virginia Updates. We have news on;
▪️ Early Voting has STARTED!
▪️ Post Debate Policy Review
▪️ COVID Affecting Kids
▪️ Redistricting Update
▪️ Vaccine Update
▪️ COVID-19 Data
✅ Follow us @we_vote_va to stay best up to date on all that’s going on in Virginia!
⚠️ Learn more about the COVID-19 in Virginia, vist: www.vdh.virginia.gov
Early Voting has STARTED!
As of Friday, September 17, early in-person voting started in Virginia!
Here are 3 ways you can vote in this election:
Vote early at your local registrar’s office or at satellite location by Saturday, October 30
Request an absentee ballot & return it by Election day
Vote in-person on election day on Tuesday, November 2
In more voting news, Governor Ralph Northam officially signed the Voting Rights Act of Virginia.
Northam first approved the new legislation in March, but signed the bill at a ceremony at the Newport News park. The bill prohibits any form of voter discrimination, and gives Virginians the power to sue over cases of voter suppression. The money collected from voter discrimination penalties will go toward the new Voter Education and Outreach Fund.
sources: elections.virginia.gov & 13newsnow.com
Post Debate Policy Review
Republican Glenn Youngkin and Democrat Terry McAuliffe debated last week on Thursday night about their competing visions in the Virginia governor's race.
Here is a brief recap of some topics discussed. For the full recorded debate and articles, visit the link in our bio.
Glenn Youngkin:
Emphasized his experience as a former business executive and promised to focus on the economy.
Pro-life but supports abortion in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is at risk.
Supports people getting the vaccine but no mandates.
Terry McAuliffe:
Emphasized his record in office and promised to make Virginia more inclusive and welcoming.
Supports a woman's right to an abortion through the second trimester and would like to enshrine Roe v. Wade in the state constitution.
Favores vaccine mandates for employers, health-care workers and schoolteachers.
sources: washingtonpost.com & virginiamercury.com
COVID Affecting Kids
Halfway into the month, September is already on track to be children’s hospital’s worst yet for coronavirus.
More children were hospitalized for COVID-19 last month than during the pandemic’s January peak. September already outpaced it with half the month remaining.
It’s a nationwide trend, especially in the South, as the more contagious delta variant start to surge. Children are making up an increasing share of new cases, in part because vaccines are not allowed for anyone under age 12 yet. As of Sept. 9, nearly 5.3 million children in the United States have tested positive since the onset of the pandemic.
And as of last Friday, the Virginia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a “call for help,” saying practices have been unable to keep up with “surging demand” for office visits and COVID-19 testing.
sources: virginiamercury.com & pilotonline.com
Redistricting Update
The bipartisan redistricting commission is looking at two sets of partisan maps as it sets to draw new boundaries for Virginia's General Assembly districts.
Democratic and Republican map drawers submitted their first statewide drafts of new maps for review by the commission. The map makers were explicitly directed not to look at past election results in drawing the districts.
Still, the maps submitted by the Democratic map drawer would give Democrats an advantage, while the GOP maps would do the opposite and give themself an advantage.
The commission is required under state law to submit a single set of maps to the General Assembly by Oct. 10 for votes. If the legislature rejects the commission's maps, the task will fall to the state Supreme Court.
sources: vpap.org & usnews.com
Vaccine Updates
Got your COVID-19 vaccine in Virginia? Check this out!
The Virginia Department of Health is now offering free QR codes that allow anyone vaccinated in Virginia to have a digital copy of their vaccination status, in addition to a vaccination card. You’ll be able to save the code on your phone or print it out.
To get yours, visit vaccinate.virginia.gov, click “need a copy of your vaccination record?” and go through the steps.
Vaccine Summary: As of Monday, September 20
Total Doses Administered: 10,454,696
People Fully Vaccinated: 5,012,733 or 58.7%
% of Adults (18+) Fully Vaccinated: 70.2%
People Vaccinated with at least 1 dose: 5,800,745 or 68.0%
% of Adults (18+) Vaccinated with at least 1 dose: 80.5%
For more information on Virginia's vaccination efforts, please visit vaccinate.virginia.gov or call 877-VAX-IN-VA
sources : vdh.virginia.gov & wtvr.com
COVID-19 Data
The Virginia Department of Health reported Tuesday that the statewide total for COVID-19 cases is 836,140. The 836,140 consists of 627,843 confirmed and 208,297 probable cases. There are 12,312 COVID-19 deaths, and Virginia’s 7-day positivity rate is now at 9.8%.
To learn more about COVID-19 in your area, visit; www.vdh.virginia.gov/ coronavirus/covid-19-daily-dashboard/ and click on the "Locality" slide on the dashboard. You can also find this link in our bio.
To learn more about your Health District and find more resources in your area, visit; www.vdh.virginia.gov/local-health-districts/
.
For all additional information, please visit; vdh.virginia.gov
- - -
Please be kind and respect one another, we are all in this together.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out below.