"Does Every Vote Count? Ask Shelly."

Shelly Simonds will lead a discussion on making every vote count, August 16, 2018, at 7:30 PM in the Undercroft of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Oxford. The event, hosted by the League of Women Voters of Oxford, is free and open to the public.

Simonds, formerly of Oxford, is an educator and current school board member in Newport News, Virginia. who ran as a Democrat last year for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates. That race made national headlines. Her opponent, Republican incumbent David Yancey, was first judged the winner by ten votes, but a recount showed Simonds winning by one vote. Yancey's lawyers saw a questionable ballot, brought to their attention by a Republican election official, on which the voter seemed to have voted first for Simonds, then negated that choice and voted for Yancey. This ballot had not been included in the recount tally. When a three-judge panel decided to count the ballot for Yancey, the votes were tied.

Election officials, following state law, determined the winner by lot. Yancey won the draw and Republicans retained control of the House of Delegates.

Simonds conceded to Yancey in early January 2018. According to an article in The Virginian Pilot (28 March 2018), Simonds plans to run again for Yancey's seat in the House of Delegates in 2019. She will discuss her experiences and her observations on election processes at the August 16 event. Those attending should use the Elm Street entrance to Holy Trinity Episcopal Church.