The Shadow
ALLEGHANY COUNTY, Va. (VR) –The November 4 general election in Alleghany County is approaching completion, but final results are still pending as officials process outstanding mail-in and provisional ballots and begin the formal canvassing process.
Registrar Tiney Rose issued a statement urging patience, noting that no race will be certified until the local electoral board completes its review. Any mail-in ballot postmarked by Election Day and received before noon on Friday, November 7, will be counted, and voters who cast provisional ballots have that same deadline to deliver required documentation to ensure their vote is included.
After this stage, Alleghany County will wait for the Virginia Department of Elections to review statewide ballot data to guarantee no individual has voted or registered in more than one locality.
Unofficial results posted so far reflect significant leads in several high-profile local contests. In the race for the Clifton Forge West District seat, challenger Courtney Howard holds a comfortable margin over incumbent Greg Dodd. Meanwhile, in Clifton Forge East, Shannon Brantley maintains a narrow four-vote advantage over Dominique Washington, with Patty McAnnally further behind.
These numbers will remain preliminary until all outstanding ballots are examined and tabulated, and officials have not ruled out the possibility that final, certified totals may be announced as late as the start of next week.
Additional key results from the ongoing count indicate that Jonathan A. Lanford is the clear front-runner for the Alleghany Highlands Public School Board, securing over 96% of the vote at this stage—a margin that is unlikely to change barring substantial new ballots.
For the Covington Board of Supervisors, James M. Griffith holds a comfortable lead, while Stephen A. Bennett is ahead in the Jackson River District Board of Supervisors race.
In the special election for town council, the leading candidates are Patricia A. Shifflett and Norvella H. Burrell; another council special sees Christopher D. Mayo with a decisive advantage.
Despite these favored positions, election officials emphasize that all current figures remain unofficial until the conclusion of the canvassing period. Additional late-arriving mail-in ballots and pending provisionals could influence tight races like Clifton Forge East, where the margin is just four votes.
The county registrar and election board encourage residents to check the official Virginia website for the latest verified results in the coming days.
