County Admin Gives Political Booths a Chance on Sidewalk Side of Early Voting Site Approach

A heads-up Royal Examiner got on Monday, September 30th, that a high-profile, local political figure might be on the verge of arrest at the Early Voting site in the Warren County Health & Human Services complex off 15th Street at the old middle school location led us to a somewhat astonishing political discovery.

That discovery was an agreement between politically warring factions as Election Day 2024 approaches in one of the most contentious election campaigns in recent memory. That agreement between Warren County Republican and Democratic Committee representatives, as well as representatives of the Independent candidates in our coming local elections, was that the Warren County Administrative Department “Canopy Policy,” updated as of September 27th, applied to the area of the Voter Registrar’s Office during Early Voting days was unnecessarily restrictive.

October 1, the day after, upon our arrival, we found the Democrat’s tent, closest at right, and the Independent’s just beyond, set up in the specified County ‘Canopy Policy’ area on the football field side of the approach sidewalk and driveway. Below is a courtesy photo from Republican official Steve Kurtz of his rule-breaking ‘umbrella’ table tent set up ‘out of bounds’ the previous day. — Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini unless otherwise noted.

The unifying sentiment that the rules are groundless (pun intended) was confirmed by this reporter upon an initial visit to the east football field side of the Health & Human Services complex’s approach to the County Voter Registrar’s Office and Early Voting site, the following day, Tuesday, October 1. That confirmation came from Democratic and Independent candidate representatives, who were manning their primary tents, which must be broken down and removed from the County property on a nightly basis. The Republican tent was conspicuously absent, as was former Warren County Republican Committee Chairman and current 6th District Republican State Central Committee Representative Steve Kurtz, whom we had been told was the central figure in the previous day’s set-up dispute in which Warren County Sheriff’s Office deputies had been called to the scene.

After a run-down of the Democrat and Independent perspectives on the previous day’s event, we left.

Another perspective of the Independent candidates, left, and Democrats set up ‘in bounds’ – that’s appropriate – on the football field side of the County property on Oct. 1.

We called County Administrator Ed Daley, the likely involved County official for a County perspective on the incident. Daley said he would send us a copy of the updated Canopy Policy effective as of September 27, which explained the rules imposed and parameters of political activity allowed at the approach to the Early Voting site by the County Voter Registrar’s Office.

The bottom line of a rather detailed Canopy Policy was that, “No canopies, tents, or other structures (the ‘Canopies’) shall be erected at any time on County-owned property … unless the County Administrator or their designee … approves Canopies in designated areas.”

So, obviously the County Administrator or his designee had approved the placement of canopied tents on a portion of the Early Voting site, but only on the football field side of the approach to the building entrance, away from the sidewalk where a bulk of early voters make their way to the Registrar’s Office and voting site.

By the end of the week we heard there had been a change in the application of the Canopy Policy at the Early Voting site. And when we arrived at the Voter Registrar side of the Health and Human Serives complex on Friday, October 4, it was immediately apparent, as all three tent/tables, Republican, Democrat, and Independent in the order of encountering them, were set up on the previously prohibited west, building side of the entrance approach.

Two views of all three table tents set up on the adjusted Canopy Policy, building side of the property on Friday, Oct. 4. All three were obeying the Election Day-based rule of remaining 40 feet from the voting site entrance.

When we returned from the site, we had a phone message from County Administrator Daley in response to a message we had left him about what had changed by the end of the week that was now allowing the setup that had caused the conflict of the previous Monday. This is what he told us:

“The policy says that the area for the canopies will be designated by the county administration. So after talking to everybody out there, if they can cooperate and not harass the voters, then the registrar is now comfortable with them over on the grass side, where they are right now between the sidewalk and the building. If they start harassing the voters or arguing, then they’re going to come back out of there. So this is an attempt to protect the voters and keep everybody in harmony out there.”

Of the change, Daley later added, “If voters are happy, we’ll leave them (the political table tents) be. If the voters are not happy, they will be back out of that area.” The intent appears to be that the staffed political tables not unduly annoy early voters making their way to vote but let the voters initiate or easily terminate any political conversation.

We asked Kurtz, the central figure in Monday’s drama, about his perspective from the end of the week when all three political booths were set up on the west building side. “I was a little perplexed on Monday when I was told I would be trespassed from county property for placing a canopy outside of the early voting location for the Warren County Republican Committee. After discussions with the candidates, electioneers, law enforcement, county administration, and the registrar, I’m happy to say as of Friday that all of the issues have been resolved for this election period.

“On to November 5th and a reminder that early voting is open 9 – 5 Monday thru Friday and the last two Saturdays before the election.”

Now, Steve, shouldn’t you have let me initiate that last bit about “On to November 5th and …” — Oh wait, never mind, I’m not out early voting, am I?

And not ‘out of bounds’ here is Republican 6th District State Central Committee Representative Steve Kurtz with Lt. Governor of Virginia, Winsome Sears at the 2024 Virginia Republican State Convention. – Courtesy Photo Steve Kurtz

Kurtz also told us that after the potential of being arrested for trespassing had been broached on September 30, that he had received a call from staff at the Sheriff’s Office that said it had been determined that there would be no arrest because no laws were being broken, just County rules as they stood at the time.

And on to Election Day, November 5, 2024, it is.