Kaine: Rules to Extend Poll Hours Need Changes

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DURING LAST WEEK'S POTOMAC PRIMARY, countless commuters were stuck in epic traffic jams because of icy precipitation. Many missed their chance to vote, especially those in Virginia who were stuck on or near the icy Springfield Interchange.

In Maryland, a decision was made to lengthen the voting span by 90 minutes on account of the bad weather conditions, but Virginia voters didn't get such an extension.

A guest writer at the Virginia politics blog Not Larry Sabato was stuck for three hours in traffic that Tuesday evening, and missed out on voting. Wrote Greg Galligan:

The closing of 395 South at the [Springfield Interchange] for three hours was by definition an extraordinary event that required an extension of the polling hours. I call on our elected leaders in Richmond to investigate this incident and create a better system for dealing with massive shocks to our transportation system in Northern Virginia.

Gov. Tim Kaine now says he wants the legislature to enact changes for such situations. Report The Post's Anita Kumar and Sandhya Somashekhar:

The proposal would allow the State Board of Elections or the chairmen of the state's political parties to ask a circuit court judge to extend the voting hours when emergency circumstances prevent voters from getting to the polls on time.

» "Virginia's Voting Nightmare" [Not Larry Sabato]
» "Kaine Wants to Ease Rules on Extending Polling Hours" [WaPo]