USA – -(Ammoland.com)- “Judges award Republican 1 vote, causing a tie in House race that will decide balance of power,” The Virginia Pilot reported Wednesday in a breaking development on a political contest that now comes down to random chance. So based on the luck of the draw, Democrats and Republicans in the House of Delegates could be split 50-50, ending nearly 18 years of Republican dominance.
“The general election took place on November 7, 2017,” Ballotpedia explains. “Unofficial recount results on December 19 showed Shelly Simonds (D) winning the District 94 race by one vote. Yancey held a 10-vote lead heading into the recount.
“On December 20, a panel of judges found that a disqualified ballot should have counted for Yancey, resulting in a tied race,” the election analysis continued. “According to Virginia law, the winner of a tied race is determined by lot, which means a random chance event such as a coin flip or drawing straws.”
Actually, it will be a draw placing names in canisters.
“A recount has now tied control of the Virginia House of Delegates BY ONE VOTE (I never want to hear any gun owner saying their vote doesn’t count),” Virginia Citizens Defense League noted in a Wednesday alert. “That single vote has made VCDL’s job of both protecting and advancing gun rights in Virginia MUCH more difficult and MUCH more important.”
That’s because, per VCDL, “There are already bills pre-filed that will:
- ban anything that makes a semi-automatic firearm fire faster than an “unaided” shooter can fire that same firearm. Existing devices are not grandfathered
- allow localities to prohibit firearms at protests and demonstrations
- ban firearms at preschools and child daycare centers
- make it illegal for a person open carrying to consume alcohol, even a glass of wine with a meal
- ban online firearms training
“Those bills are just the tip of the iceberg,” VCDL warns. “Universal background checks, ‘assault weapon’ bans, magazine capacity limitations, bans on carry in libraries and other local government buildings, and much more are on the way.”
And it’s not like Virginia gun owners didn’t know there was a difference between the Republican and the Democrat.
Yancey was rated 93% by the National Rifle Association and 85% by VCDL. Simonds, on the other hand, was endorsed by Gabby Giffords’ PAC.
At this writing, the name draw has not yet happened – when it does, this will be updated. The Democrats have said they “are assessing all legal options.” [See update at end of article.]
There will be time afterward to analyze what Virginia Republicans did wrong to make the fire go out of the bellies of so many voters, but the takeaway from this (and from the Gillespie race) is it’s not because the Republicans sounded too much like Donald Trump. Just the opposite, those coming across as “moderates” hardly inspire voters tired of establishment platitudes, and just a quick glance at Yancey’s campaign website “issues” page shows he didn’t even mention the two big Trump draws, immigration and guns.
That said, VCDL is right saying they “never want to hear any gun owner saying their vote doesn’t count.”
For those inclined to dismiss that with a defiant “Molon Labe!” it’s on them to explain why anyone who can’t even be bothered to vote should be believed when they tell us they’re ready to see what that would really entail through to the end. They’re called “last resorts” because it’s presumed all other means and remedies provided in the system bequeathed us by the Founders have been exhausted.
“State elections board to meet next Wednesday to hold random drawing to pick winner in tied House race”
“Yancey wins tiebreaker for key Virginia seat; Simonds says she won’t concede”
Virginia gun owners lucked out.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating / defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament.
In addition to being a field editor/columnist at GUNS Magazine and associate editor for Oath Keepers, he blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.