County election officials rocked and rolled with the punches, even as the Aug. 23 earthquake briefly threw a wrench into operations at precincts across Arlington. But the show went on: Polls closed on time at 7 p.m., and the first results were in four minutes later.
“Everybody handled it beautifully,” Registrar Linda Lindberg said of staff at the 51 precincts, who like the rest of the local area were jolted by the 5.8-magnitude quake just before 2 p.m. on the day of the commonwealth’s primary election.
A few tiles fell down at the polling room at Taylor Elementary School, and some precinct operations were forced outside when the buildings they occupied were closed either temporarily or for the day. Given the glorious late-summer weather, there were few complaints.
“They’re having a great time; it’s a beautiful day,” said Lindberg of the situation at George Mason University’s Arlington campus, where polling operations were moved into a courtyard area.
Most polling places were closed no more than 30 minutes immediately following the earthquake, election officials said. While the county government headquarters on Clarendon Boulevard was closed following the earthquake, election officials stayed through the evening to gather and post results.
Full Article: Sun Gazette Newspapers – from Archives – Arlington > News.