Topline
His 17-year old son, Glenn Youngkin, went to the polls twice before he won the Virginia governorship on Tuesday. He asked for a vote but was denied because he did not meet the minimum age requirement. However, Youngkins campaign claimed that he misunderstood state laws.
Glenn Youngkin, Republican candidate for governor, speaks to the media after casting an early ballot on September 23, 2021 in Fairfax (Virginia). Getty Images
The Key Facts
The 17-year old tried twice to vote on Election Day but was unsuccessful. He was encouraged to register for future elections by Scott Konopasek (Fairfax Countys director and elections), in a statement to Forbes. Konopasek stated that the teenager did not appear to violate any state election laws as he didn't cast a vote or make false statements. Jennifer Chanty (Democrat, precinct Captain) told the Washington Post that he went to her polling station twice. He was initially turned away due to his age, but he returned 20 mins later to ask again for permission to vote. He claimed to have been able to do so because his 17-year old friend was able to. The Post was the first to report on Youngkins' son. Forbes was told by a Youngkin spokesperson that the teenager misunderstood Virginia's election law. He simply asked polling officials whether he was eligible.
Important Quote
He did not vote. He made no false statements. Konopasek stated in an email that he did not disrupt voting. According to the information I have now, it seems that he did not commit an election offense as per Chapter 10 of The Elections Code.
Chief Critic
Glenn is trying to unify the Commonwealth around his positive message about safer streets and better schools. His political opponents, who suffered major losses this year, are pitching opposition research to a 17-year-old boy who clearly misunderstood Virginia's election law and asked polling officials if they were eligible to vote.
Important Background
Youngkin, a former executive at Carlyle Group's private equity firm Carlyle Group, defeated the former governor. Terry McAuliffe, a former executive at the Carlyle Group private equity firm, won Youngkin's victory by more than two percentage points. This makes him the first Republican to win an election in Virginia in more than a decade. Many pundits viewed the race as a bellwether of national politics, as President Joe Biden has a declining approval rating and as a test of Democrats' ability to retain a state whose electoral fortunes are slowly shifting leftward because there is more suburban Virginia. McAuliffe tried to portray Youngkin as a coy of Donald Trump's former president. Youngkin was supported by Trump, but was rarely mentioned on the campaign trail. Youngkin remained focused on education, promising to improve standards in local schools. He also suggested McAuliffe had backed critical racism theory, an academic concept that analyses systemic racism, which many Republicans claim has seeped into school curriculum. McAuliffe dismissed the claim as bogus.
Tangent
Youngkins' campaign for the Republican nomination saw him vow to make election integrity a priority. He suggested an audit of voting machines. Some Republicans claim that the last presidential elections were marred by voter fraud. However, Youngkin, who won his party's support in spring, said he believed Biden legitimately won. His campaign also stated in September that he would vote to confirm Biden's win if he was a member Congress.
Continue reading
Virginia Governor-elect Youngkins' underage son tried to vote in Tuesday's election, according to elections officials (Washington Post).
