Becoming an Informed Voter- Researching Your Congressional Delegation

Becoming an Informed Voter- Researching Your Congressional Delegation

WHAT IS THE POLITICAL HISTORY OF YOUR DISTRICT AND STATE?

The county of Stafford Virginia is split among seven magisterial regions: Falmouth, George Washington, Griffis-Widewater, Hartwood, Aquia, Rockhill and Garrisonville. Each of these seven magestrial regions is responsible for electing supervisor for the purpose of monitoring of the Commission that is responsible to govern the county of Stafford Virginia. The county of Stafford Virginia is run with an elected Surveilance Commision, under the executive system of the government of the country. A Professional County Manager is appointed by the council, in order to handle the independent state agencies. The Congressman Robb Wittman represents the county in the House of Representatives. William J. Howell represents the county in the Virginia House of Delegates, whereas, the job of Speaker if the House of Delegates is performed by the delegate Bill Howell, representing the county of Stafford Virginia (Somashekhar, Sandhya, 2008).

HOW HAVE THEY VOTED IN RECENT PRESIDENTIAL AND CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS?

Presidential Elections

During the 2008 presidential election, Democratic candidate Barack Obama won from Stafford Virginia, however, with 51.8% of the vote against Republican candidate John McCain, putting a stop to more than 40 years of consecutive wins in the election for Republican Candidates (Somashekhar, Sandhya, 2008).

Congressional Elections

There has been a trend that the county of Stafford Virginia has been renowned to follow. This trend represents the fact that in congressional elections, the people of this county would elect an individual who does not belong to the ruling party of the country. On the 8th of November 2005, after a bitter election campaign, voters in Virginia maintained the tradition and elected Democratic Lieutenant Governor Tim Kaine to succeed Warner by 51% against 46.8% in the Republican Jerry Kilgore. Kaine took office on 14 January 2006 (Kunkle, Fredrick, et al, 2007).

CAN YOUR DISTRICT OR STATE BE CONSIDERED TO BE LEANING REPUBLICAN OR LEANING DEMOCRATIC?

In 1928, Herbert Hoover was the first Republican candidate in the 20th century to win from the state of Virginia. From 1964 to 2004, this state did not even vote once for a Democrat candidate. During the 2004 presidential election, the President and Republican candidate George W. Bush won with 53.68% against 45.48% votes of the Democratic candidate John Kerry. However, in the last Presidential elections that was held in 2008, this 40 year trend was broken as Democratic candidate Barack Obama won from this state. Thus, looking at this information, it can be said that the state was leaning Republican, but the results of the previous elections suggest the fact that the state is now leaning Democratic (Kunkle, Fredrick, et al, 2007).

ARE THE PARTIES RELATIVELY EVEN OR DOES ONE PARTY DOMINATE THE ELECTIONS?

Looking at the election results derived from this state in the past, it can be said that the Republicans have had the upper hand over the Democratic Party in this state. However, considering the result of the last concluded election, in which a Democratic candidate Barack Obama had won, ...