Updated: Fairfax Station Votes: Light Turnout Expected for Virginia's Super Tuesday

UPDATED: 7:30 p.m. Virginia voters have given the nod to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in today's Republican presidential primary.

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Fairfax Station and Clifton residents took it to the polls this morning.

Silverbrook Elementary School recorded a total 529 voters just before 6 p.m.. The location is the polling place for both the Silverbrook and Fountainhead Districts.

In the 2008 presidential primaries, Silverbrook Elementary saw 396 voters in the Republian presidential primary, a turnout of 11.6 percent. The precinct in 2008 had 3,409 registered voters. (That year, 801 Democrats voted or 23.5 percent.)

At Antioch Baptist Church on Little Ox Road, the polling station had seen 202 voters as of just after 5:30 p.m., said precinct chief Kathleen Gonzalez.

“Apparently we hear we are doing better than the others,” Gonzalez said, and added they are seeing about 13 voters per hour.

The Antioch Baptist Church polling place is one of fewer than 30 precincts in Fairfax County that are using electronic poll book to check in voters. At present time, most poll stations use a paper bound booklet.

This is the first election cycle that Fairfax County is using a computer program. If all goes well, all poll locations in the county will use electronic check-in for the November elections, Gonzalez said.

“It’s faster and it’s more fool proof,” Gonzalez said. “I just have to click on a name to check them in and confirm.”

Voters Jean and Ken Medlin turned in their votes just before noon. They both said they make a point to vote in primary elections.

“We voted for Romney today,” Ken Medlin said. “He is the best prepared to be president. I liked his background as a governor. He has a good approach to solving problems and he is well-grounded.”

Both Medlin and Jean said that they would have liked to see more candidates on the ballot.

“But I do feel it was the candidates’ responsibility and get their ballots in,” Ken Medlin said.

Another voter, John Gonzalez, also of Fairfax Station, was even more disappointed in his lack of options.

“I didn’t vote for anyone,” Gonzalez said. “I left it blank. I didn’t like either candidate but I wanted to be on the record as having voted.”

Gonzalez said that he may have voted for an alternative candidate had more been listed on the ballot.

“I’m not too excited about any of the Republican candidates this time,” Gonzalez said. “I think I’m not too excited because the Republican Party is going too far to the right for my philosophy.”

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As Virginia heads into , the mood is decidedly flat, likely due to the ballot : former Massachusetts Gov. and Texas Congressman .

"I expect a poor turnout. With no real competition, many voters will conclude, 'Why bother?'" said Mark J. Rozell, professor of Public Policy at  in Fairfax.

Anthony Bedell, chairman of the Fairfax County Republicans, agreed. "Turnout will be very low," he predicted.

Because President George W. Bush (R) went unchallenged in 2004, the last comparable GOP presidential primary race to this year's was in 2000 when Vice President Al Gore went unchallenged for the Democrats. Five Republican candidates, including Bush and John McCain, battled for the GOP nomination.

That year, Virginia saw a 17.28 percent turnout. Participation that year was highest in Virginia's 8th Congressional District and lowest in the state's 9th Congressional District.

In Fairfax County in 2000, of the 544,157 registered voters, 126,234 turned out to vote in the GOP presidential primary, a 23.2 percent turnout, said Elections Chief Cameron Quinn.

In 2008, when there was both a Democratic and Republican primary, turnout was about 11 percent statewide, according to the Virginia State Board of Elections.

"Four years ago, it was 9,500 [voters] roughly…in Arlington in the Republican presidential primary," said Mark Kelly, former chairman of the Arlington County Republican Party. "Of course, the Obama-Clinton primary was going on the same day. There was more attention drawn to it as well. I'm guessing lower (this year), just because it doesn't seem like they (the candidates) are really contesting this."

Kelly estimated Arlington's turnout to be between 5,000 and 6,000 on Super Tuesday.

"I don't think that's going to point to the lack of enthusiasm of Republicans for November," Kelly noted. "It's more of a reflection just of the… lack of overall attention that seems to be paid here. I'd have to assume that turnout is going to be lower."

Potential VP McDonnell Encourages Participation

Gov. Bob McDonnell, who has endorsed frontrunner Mitt Romney and , asked that voters turn out on Tuesday, in a conference call with reporters on Monday.

"We have two candidates — Ron Paul and our endorsed candidate Gov. Mitt Romney — and while it [the Virginia primary] is one of 10 races that are being held across the country, we obviously think Virginia is a critically important state," McDonnell said.

"It's said to be a swing state," he said. "It was a state that three, four years ago went for Obama and seven years ago went for President Bush so it certainly has the ability for both Democrats and Republicans to win. That's why most people think Virginia will be a very important state in November. We're asking our Republican activists and Independents who want to vote in the Republican primary, to go out and vote tomorrow."

Is McDonnell, who is oft-discussed as a potential running mate with Romney, serving up Virginia's delegates to Romney on a silver platter? University of Virginia Prof. Larry Sabato, in his "Crystal Ball" report, noted Virginia's leaders are Romney supporters and said that Romney will "sweep or nearly sweep" the state and is "guaranteed Virginia" and its 46 delegates up for grabs. 

Patch editors Rachel Hatzipanagos, Nicole Trifone and Jason Spencer contributed to this report.

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