RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond residents are continuing to make their voices heard at the polls this election. Many are participating in early voting this year ahead of the Nov. 7 election date.
The first day of in-person early voting was Friday, Sept. 22. This year the casino referendum — which is Richmond’s second chance to bring the attraction to the city — is one question voters can plan on seeing on the ballot.
As early voting continues, a lawsuit concerning the casino is also making its way to federal court on Friday. Paul Goldman is suing the commissioner of the Virginia Department of Elections over registered voter information. In legal documents reviewed by 8News, Goldman’s suit claims that his First Amendment rights were violated by the Department of Elections when he was refused the voter list for his anti-casino campaign.
City leaders say the casino will bring in about 1,300 permanent jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue to the Commonwealth.
According to the Richmond Elections Office, 5,242 votes have already been cast. Most of those votes are from residents who live where Richmond’s potential casino destination would go, which is the 8th District — there have been 928 votes from the district so far.
This year’s early voting numbers are difficult to compare to the numbers seen in the 2021 election because the City’s elections office does not have totals from the same point two years ago, according to the registrar.
The anti-casino campaign, “No Means No Casino,” has already raised more than $250,000 since late July.
If city voters decide they want to approve the proposal this time around, the casino will be built in the 8th district-the city’s Southside at Walmsley Boulevard and Trenton Avenue.
