Politics & Government

Rust, Boysko Address Election Results

As they stand currently, results of Tuesday's election put Democrat Jennifer Boysko just 56 votes behind Republican incumbent Tom Rust.

The two candidates for Delegate to the 86th District, Republican incumbent Tom Rust and Democrat Jennifer Boysko, released statements Thursday regarding the results of Tuesday's election.

After the 17th of the district's 17 precincts reported its ballot counts just before midnight Tuesday, the two candidates' totals were separated by just 56 votes, in Rust's favor.

Many have questioned whether Rust's apparent victory will stand since, according to Fairfax County's Office of Public Affairs, there are still outstanding provisional ballots to be counted.

News website Watchdog.org reported Thursday that there were thousands of provisional ballots cast statewide on Tuesday, and that nearly 500 of those were cast in Fairfax County, though there is no word on how many of them were cast in the 86th District, which includes Herndon as well as parts of Oak Hill and Sterling.

The Office of Public Affairs said according to law, voters who cast provisional ballots have until 5 p.m. Friday to present proof of eligibility to vote, such as a voter registration card or photo ID like a driver's license.

Boysko released a statement Thursday night that indicated she is holding out hope that provisional ballots may tip the scales in her favor, and thanking everyone for their support of her campaign.

“While the votes are being counted I want to thank all of my volunteers, supporters and staff for pouring so much of [themselves] into this race. I know [they’re] watching and waiting for the final results too, but I think our hard work has already shown itself and I couldn't be more proud of what we’ve accomplished,” Boysko said in her statement. “There’s a specific process involved at this stage and given the close nature of these results, we owe it to the nearly 21,000 voters to make sure that all of their votes have been counted and for election officials to complete their work."

Rust also released a statement, declaring victory.

"It is my honor to continue serving the people of the 86th District as well as assuming my new role as Chairman of the House Transportation Committee," Rust said. "I sincerely thank my family, friends, and supporters for their hard work and encouragement. I look forward to getting back to the people's work." 

Patch will continue to follow this story as new information about the results of the election becomes available.


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