Hans von Spakovsky

Dem Remains Ahead In Virginia Race Where Bush-Era Lawyer Counting Ballots

Ryan J. Reilly | November 5, 2010, 8:00AM

Hans von Spakovsky

As we told you Wednesday, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) is just ahead of his Republican opponent Keith Fimian in a close race, and now the Fairfax County Board of Elections is canvassing the voting machines and examining provisional ballots.

With 100 percent of the precincts in, Connolly has 111,630 votes to Fimian's 110,700, according to state election data last updated at 1:56 p.m. on Thursday.

In Fairfax County, Connolly has 76,086 votes to Fimian's 71,571. With a split of 4,515 votes in Fairfax County, provisional ballots -- of which a county spokeswoman said there "a little over 100" -- aren't going to swing the result in the county. Still, some are concerned due to the involvement of Hans von Spakovsky, a Bush-era Justice Department official who was accused of politicizing the Civil Rights Division and putting an undue emphasis on combating voter fraud.

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Hans von Spakovsky

Hans von Spakovsky Will Help Certify A Tight Race In Virginia

Ryan J. Reilly | November 3, 2010, 2:24PM

Hans von Spakovsky

Both sides are claiming victory in the House race in Virginia's 11th district, which may be the closest contest in the country. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Democrat Gerry Connolly is leading Republican Keith Fimian by just 487 votes.

The three-member electoral board of Faixfax County is currently in the midst of canvassing the election results, a spokeswoman for the country government confirmed to TPMMuckraker. One of the individuals sitting on that board is Hans von Spakovsky, a Bush-era Justice Department official who came under fire from Democrats after allegations that he helped politicize the Civil Rights Division and placed an undue emphasis on voter fraud and identification that critics say often suppresses minority voter turnout.

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