Turnout is small for Democratic primary

Brief power outages in Northern Virginia and a report of a gunman in Virginia Beach added drama to yesterday's statewide Democratic primary.

Otherwise, the day was marked by low turnout and little suspense once the polls closed. Returns soon showed that state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds and Jody M. Wagner won runaway victories to become the Democratic nominees for governor and lieutenant governor.

Two voting precincts in Virginia Beach were locked down for about 45 minutes because a gunman was in the vicinity, according to the State Board of Elections. One voter was asked to return at a later hour because of the lockdown.

Nancy Rodrigues, secretary of the election board, said morning storms caused four polling locations in Arlington and Fairfax counties to lose power, although backup battery equipment allowed the voting to continue.

Ernest Mason, secretary of the Hanover County electoral board, estimated that the turnout there would be 12 percent to 13 percent, one of the highest estimates in the state.

Mason said the three-man Republican primary contest for the 55th District House of Delegates seat was drawing more interest than the Democratic gubernatorial primary.

J. Kirk Showalter, Richmond's registrar, said turnout was light all over the city but appeared to be slightly higher in the 69th House District, where three candidates sought the Democratic nomination to run for the seat of retiring Del. Franklin P. Hall.

"I'm trying to find something to do," she said.

In Northern Virginia, turnout approached 10 percent, while some Southwest Virginia localities reported less than 1 percent turnout.

Poll workers at precincts around the capital region reported scant voter turnout, with campaign volunteers or paid staffers outside precincts seeking shady spots away from the sweltering heat.

From Mary Munford Elementary School to Retreat Doctors' Hospital, Richmond Sheriff C.T. Woody was the only candidate who had campaign workers handing out literature, at least in the late morning.

The East End City Hall on 25th Street had about 177 voters as of 12:30 p.m., and volunteers outside said Wagner had stopped by to shake hands.

Voters were waiting when some Henrico County polls opened at 6 a.m., Registrar Mark J. Coakley said. But at one precinct in western Henrico, only 15 people had voted in the first two hours the polls were open.

And poll workers outnumbered voters for most of the morning at the Nuckols Farm Elementary School precinct in western Henrico near the Goochland County line.

At Chesterfield County's J.G. Hening Elementary School, which was split from another precinct after voting problems in last year's primary, only 18 of 1,500 registered voters had cast ballots by 11:15 a.m.

In Chesterfield's Bon Air precinct, near the Richmond city limits, 96 of about 3,100 registered voters cast ballots by 10:30 a.m., compared with 1,225 at the same time during the presidential election, a poll worker said.

"I voted for the candidate I think will beat the Republicans," Carol Mazur said. "And that's coming from almost a lifelong Republican."

Showalter, the Richmond registrar, said voters at one precinct had to use paper ballots initially because a poll worker brought the wrong card to operate the machines. But she said the problem was handled according to procedure until officials could turn on the machines.

"It wouldn't be an election morning if we didn't have hiccups," she said.

Otherwise, Showalter said, "voting is going fairly lightly, as we expected."

Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or .

Staff writers Jim Nolan, Olympia Meola and Jeff E. Schapiro contributed to this report.