Below The Beltway

When Kellie and I went to vote on Tuesday, we were among the first ten people in line and the first question that the poll worker in our precinct asked each voter was whether they wanted a Republican or Democratic ballot. And she asked the question pretty loudly and handed them the proper ballot card [...]

It looks like Northern Virginia was the key to Barack Obama’s victory here Tuesday:
So how bad did Sen. Barack Obama thrash Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in Northern Virginia on Tuesday?
According to the state Board of Elections, Clinton (D-N.Y.) didn’t win a single precinct in Alexandria. She won one in Arlington (Arlington Mill) and one in [...]

Here’s how things seem to look one day after the vote in Virginia, Maryland and D.C.
Republicans
If there was ever going to be a chance to stop John McCain, or force a brokered convention, it was here, specifically in Virginia. For part of the night, it looked like Mike Huckabee might actually pull it off but, [...]

The big rotating police light is up on Drudge and here’s what he says:
EXIT POLLS SHOW 2:1 OBAMA LEAD OVER HILLARY IN VA AND MD, 3:1 IN DC… DEVELOPING…
HUCKABEE GIVES MCCAIN RUN IN VA: EXITS…
Looks like it will be an interesting night.

As of now, there are about two hours left to vote in Virginia, and three hours left in Maryland and the District of Columbia, and some nasty weather has moved into the area:
Spotty flurries and snow showers that moved through the region this morning, mainly to the north and west of D.C., have now come [...]

The Washington Post reports that turnout for today’s primary seems, if not extraordinarily heavy, then at least brisk:
Post reporters at several Northern Virginia polling stations found voting went relatively smoothly this morning, with turnout apparently brisk, though Brigid L. Schulte reported lines as long as 20 minutes at one Alexandria precinct.
However, readers called and wrote [...]

After a frenzied last day of campaigning, the polls are open in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia:
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama offered himself as “something new” at a pair of spirited, arena-size rallies in Maryland yesterday, while his primary rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton, portrayed herself as a “battle-scarred” fighter for the middle class [...]

A few pointers:

If you’re not already registered to vote, it’s too late so don’t try.
If you’re not sure where to go to vote, here’s the State Board of Elections website to help
If you’re interested at all, here’s my reasoning for the admittedly unorthodox voting choice I’m making today.

Vote early and vote often. Unless you’re voting [...]

Scott Rasmussen has two polls out this weekend that show substantial leads for Barack Obama in both the Maryland and Virginia primaries on Tuesday.
First, in Virginia:
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Virginia shows Barack Obama leading Hillary Clinton by eighteen percentage points. Obama earns 55% of the vote while Clinton attracts 37%.
The demographic divisions [...]

Apparently, it’s a real phenomenon:
GLEN ALLEN, Va. — Laura Barchi DeBusk threw on her boots and sunglasses as the school bus rounded the corner. Clutching her preschooler’s hand, she crossed the street along with half a dozen other stay-at-home moms. DeBusk and her neighbors — Republicans all — rarely discuss politics, but days before a [...]