Voters in Prince Edward County have chosen to directly elect members of their school board.

The win for the measure’s proponents came Tuesday night as voters across Buckingham, Cumberland and Prince Edward took to the polls to choose their next president and vice president of the United States.

In Buckingham County, Joii West Goodman won a majority of votes in the special election for the District Four School Board seat. Only 16 votes separated Goodman, who received 588 votes, from candidate Frank Knott’s 572 votes.

In Cumberland, George Reid Jr., who retired after years of service on the school board, for the second time, received a majority of write-in votes for the District Four School Board seat. Reid received 16 votes, according to Cumberland County General Registrar Marlene Watson. A total of 95 write-in votes were cast; no names appeared on the ballot.

State Sen. Tom Garrett, a Republican, won Buckingham, Cumberland and Prince Edward counties. Shortly after 9 p.m., Democratic opponent and former member of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors Jane Dittmar has conceded victory to Garrett.

With 96 percent of the precincts reporting in the Fifth Congressional District, Garrett received 59 percent of the votes.

The selection of direct election over the current appointment process of school board members in Prince Edward came on a landslide. Seventy-six percent of voters voted “yes” on the measure, while only 24 percent voted “no.” The referendum asked voters, “Shall the method of selecting the school board be changed from appointment by the governing body to direct election by the voters?”

Currently, members of the county’s board of supervisors select school board members.

In Buckingham, Republican Donald J. Trump took 54 percent of the vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton’s 43 percent. In Cumberland, Trump took 55 percent of the votes case, while Clinton took 42 percent.

Clinton won Prince Edward with 51 percent of the vote to Trump’s 45 percent.

All results are unofficial until certified by the Virginia Board of Elections.

Election updates

9:15 p.m.: Democrat Dittmar concedes to Republican Garrett

Democratic Congressional Candidate and former member of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors Jane Dittmar has conceded victory to Republican State Sen. Tom Garrett.

“Just moments ago, I spoke with … Garrett to congratulate him on becoming our congressman and to thank him for our spirited and vigorous contest,” said Dittmar. “I wished him Godspeed I urge all those who supported me to join me in not just congratulating Tom, but offering him our good will and support in the important work ahead.”

With over 95 percent of precincts in the Fifth Congressional District reporting, Garrett has received 59 percent of to the vote to Dittmar’s 41.

“First and foremost, I want to thank God and my family for their steadfast support,” Garrett said in a statement. “Similarly, I could not be more appreciative for the outpouring of support by volunteers, donors, and GOP units who have given so much during this election — it is truly humbling.”

Candidate	Votes	Percent
Jane D. Dittmar Democratic	131,567	40.65%
Tom A. Garrett, Jr. Republican	191,419	59.15%
Write In Write-In	652	0.20%

8:50 p.m.: Prince Edward will elect its school board members

In a landslide vote, an overwhelming majority of voters in Prince Edward County have chosen to elect the members of its school board.

The ballot measure asked voters “Shall the method of selecting the school board be changed from appointment by the governing body to direct election by the voters?”

School board members in Prince Edward are currently appointed by the board of supervisors — a practice few localities in Virginia employ.

Over 6,360 voters voted “yes” to the referendum, while just under 2,000 voted “no.”

Response	Votes	Percent
Yes	6,366	76.27%
No	1,981	23.73%

8:34 p.m.: Reid wins Cumberland School Board seat

George Reid Jr. won a majority of write-in votes in the District Four School Board seat in Cumberland County.

According to General Registrar Marlene Watson, Reid, who didn’t seek re-election to the school board after years of service, received the majority of write-in votes — 16 of the 95.

Candidate	Votes	Percent
Write In	95	100.00%

8:21 p.m.: Goodman wins school board race in Buckingham

With all precincts reporting in Buckingham, Joii West Goodman has won the District Four School Board seat in Buckingham County.

Goodman received 588 votes to Frank Knott Jr.’s 527 — a difference of 16 votes.

Two write-in votes were cast.

Joii W. Goodman	588	50.60%
Frank M. Knott Jr.	572	49.23%

8:20 p.m.: Garrett claims victory, wins Buckingham and Prince Edward

Republican Congressional Candidate Virginia Sen. Tom Garrett has declared victory.

“Incoming vote tallies came in demonstrating a landslide win,” Garrett said in a statement.

With all precincts reporting, Garrett took both Buckingham and Prince Edward counties.

8:12 p.m.: Clinton, Garrett win Prince Edward

With all precincts reporting in Prince Edward County, Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton has won the county, while Republican Congressional Candidate and Virginia Sen. Tom Garrett also won the county.

At the district level, Garrett is winning with 57 percent of the vote.

8:05 p.m.: Trump, Garrett lead Buckingham while Clinton leads Prince Edward

Democrat Hillary Clinton is leading the polls in Prince Edward while Republican Donald Trump leads in Buckingham County.

Sen. Tom Garrett is leading the race against Democratic candidate Jane Dittmar in both Buckingham and Prince Edward County.

Overall, Garrett is leading with 58 percent of the vote with 150 of 328 precincts reporting in the Fifth Congressional District.

With only absentee and provisional votes outstanding, District Four School Board Candidate Frank Knott Jr. is leading opponent Joii Goodman.

In Cumberland, no results have returned on the District Four School Board race where no candidate appeared on the ballot, nor are there results in the direct election of school board members referendum in Prince Edward County.

7:48 p.m.: Knott leads school board race in Buckingham

Candidate Frank M. Knott Jr. is leading the race for District Four School Board Member.

With only absentee and provisional votes lacking, Knott has 551 votes to candidate Joii Goodman’s 505 votes.

 

7:40 p.m.: Trump leads Buckingham, Clinton leads Prince Edward

With few precincts reporting, Republican Donald J. Trump is leading Buckingham with 61 percent of the vote, while Democrat Hillary R. Clinton is leading Prince Edward with 51 percent.

Three of 11 precincts are reporting in Buckingham while 9 of 11 are reporting in Prince Edward.

7:30 p.m.: Garrett leads in congressional race

Virginia Sen. Tom Garrett is leading with only 7 percent of precincts reporting in the Fifth Congressional District.

Garrett is leading with 61 percent of the vote, while former Albemarle County supervisor Jane Dittmar trails with 39 percent.

Jane D. Dittmar Democratic	9,022	39.14%
Tom A. Garrett, Jr. Republican	13,989	60.69%

7 p.m.: Polls close

The polls have closed across the Heart of Virginia as election officials begin to report and count the votes cast in today’s historic U.S. Presidential election.

Voters across the area are choosing who their next president will be, along with their next representative in Congress.

Voters in Prince Edward County will decide whether or not to directly elect their school board members, while voters in Cumberland and Buckingham will choose new one new school board member in a special election.

The Herald will continue to publish and post live election results throughout the evening. Unofficial results are based on the Virginia State Board of Elections’ website.

3:30 p.m.: Turnout remains heavy

Voter turnout remained heavy across the Heart of Virginia as of Tuesday afternoon.

According to voter registration officials, turnout remains heavy in Buckingham County, where voters will not only decide on who their next president will be, but also who will represent District Four on the county’s school board. Frank Knott and Joii West Goodman are vying for the spot.

In Cumberland County, where voters District Four are also set to elect a new school board member, turnout has been high. According to the county’s registrar’s office, Voting District 2 has seen a 50.8 percent turnout so far, while Voting District 3 has seen turnout at almost 48 percent. Absentee ballots have made up about 5.5 percent of voter turnout.

In Prince Edward County, where voters countywide are deciding whether or not to directly elect their school board members, turnout remains moderate, according to officials.