On Saturday, May 21, Voters will have an opportunity to nominate a Republican to run for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District seat in November 2022.
However, Manassas residents and city employees may not know about the upcoming election based on information — or the lack thereof — distributed by City Hall.
An insert into the city May utility bill, in the Mayor’s Corner section of the flier, only information about a June 21 Democratic Primary Election is included. In the Democratic Primary, incumbent Jennifer Wexton faces no competition from fellow Democrats in her bid to keep the 10th Congressional District seat.
Voters will choose three of four Democrats hoping to fill three seats on the Manassas City Council: Sonia R. Vasquez Luana, Dheeraj “DJ” Jagadev, Ralph Smith (incumbent), and Robert Keller. The top three vote-getters will run in the General Election in November.
“I was furious when I received my utility bill and saw the monthly newsletter insert. They talked about voting about only in the Democrat primary and nothing about voting in the Republican primary. So it appears that my tax dollars are being used for political gain,” Manassas resident Nettie Stevens told PLN.
Additionally, an email from the city’s Deputy Director of Elections to about 475 city government employees provides information on the Democratic Primary but ignores the Republican nominating process.
Early voting for the Democrat’s Primary Election began on May 4. (See the info from the state’s Department of Elections).
Instead of a state-run Primary Election, paid for with taxpayer funds, Republicans in the 10th Congressional District chose a Firehouse Primary as its method of nominating candidates, paid for with party funds, using no taxpayer funding. (Read all about it here, how it works and how to participate).
According to City Manager Patrick Pate, it’s for that reason the city has ignored the GOP nominating contest and only promoted the Democratic Primary.
“…elections are ‘political events,’ and the [city] Elections Office will provide information on how to vote at any election that they are tasked with running,” writes Pate in an email to Manassas GOP chief Andy Harrover, who asked why the city did not promote the Firehouse Primary. “That is not the same as a ‘partisan political event’ which is run by a political party for the sole ends of that political party.’
Manassas Councilwoman Theresa Ellis, one of 11 GOP congressional candidates running in the 10th District, says City Hall should provide information on both parties nominating contests to avoid a perception of partisanship.
“If the City of Manassas taxpayers are paying for the distribution of information concerning the Democrat method of nomination events, then to be fair, they should be notifying the public about the Republican method of nomination events. The public deserves the right to know about all elections,” Ellis told PLN.
“The argument that because the state-run primary is funded by taxpayers, therefore, should only be made public, but the Republican method is not, as a reason to distribute the information, is an example of the unfair communicating practices of important information to our residents.”
The city helps to promote other events that do not use taxpayer funds, such as the Viking Festival that occurred this past weekend.
Also adding to the potential voter confusion is a mysterious blue flier that appeared in city mailboxes last week.
PLN obtained a copy of the flier, listing the wrong date for the GOP Firehouse Primary, incorrectly telling voters the GOP Primary for Manassas voters will occur in June. A state-managed Republican Primary Election will be held June 21 for voters in the 7th Congressional District in eastern Prince William County (east of Hoadly Road), Stafford County, Fredericksburg, etc.
The flier does not indicate who paid for or authorized the message.
“We have never seen it,” said Manassas City Government spokeswoman Patty Prince.
