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RADIO HOST 1: One of the other states we’re watching closely is Virginia where the legislative race. . .

RADIO HOST 2: This is the race in Virginia! November 7th. . .

RADIO HOST 1: In Senate District 16 Democrat Schuyler VanValkenburg. . .

RADIO HOST 3: Closely scrutinized across the country for hints of what might come in next year’s 2024 presidential cycle.

CADEN: I hope you don’t mind. I’m solving parts of your crossword. All of the easy ones are gone! Little wonder. . .  Steve, oh! Stevie Wonder. What’s the plan today?

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG (CADEN’S FATHER): Precincts all day. And then see you hopefully at the victory party tonight?

CADEN: Yes, I will be there.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: With your sisters. Mm. So how about yourself?

CADEN: Vote and bring the sisters to the party. That’s basically my whole day.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: All Right. Voting, first time voting.

CADEN: Yes.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG:  How are you feeling about it? You’re voting for me, right?

CADEN: I haven’t decided yet.

CADEN: Today is obviously the Election Day, but it’s also my 18th birthday, which is cool. My birthday is on Election Day every six years. I was born on Election Day, turned six on Election Day, turned 12 on Election Day, 18, and presumably in the future 24, 30 and all of those other birthdays that follow.

CADEN: I’m relieved that it’s almost over.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: Do you know who to vote for for all the local races?

CADEN: Not all of the candidates. No, not on top of my head.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: You better check that before you go vote.

CADEN: Okay. Duly noted.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: Okay!

CADEN: I will look it up.

CADEN (WALKING INTO THE POLLING PLACE): Good morning.

CADEN: You know, I am 18. I am now legally an adult, which means I have to handle a lot of things now that I didn’t have to deal with before. I get to vote for once. But it’s a mixture of like excitement from, like getting to vote and also just kind of like kind of slight disappointment that my dad’s not there for it. But eh, expectation, it happens.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG (SPEAKING TO PROSPECTIVE VOTERS) : How’s it going, sir? Schuyler VanValkenburg, I would love to earn your vote for state senate. Hey, I would love to earn your vote. Schuyler!

VOTER: Democrat? You got it!

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG (ON THE PHONE): How have the doors been? How have the doors been?

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG: We’ve spent the last year knocking on thousands upon thousands of doors and spending a lot of money on advertising, but at the end of the day, it’s not in your hands, right? It’s in the voters hands.

RADIO/ TV HOST: Every race is tied. I’ve never seen races like this. Everything is tied, so we have no idea what’s going to happen.

CADEN: Yep. I am very nervous for my dad. I mean, it’s stressful that he might not win. We’ll see.

RADIO/ TV HOST: So we do have some information that is coming in.

RADIO/ TV HOST: In Senate District 16, Democrat Schuyler VanValkenburg is the projected winner over Republican Siobhan Dunnavant.

CADEN: Sure. It means I don’t get to celebrate as much my birthday on the actual day, but I don’t blame him for having the election take priority because that’s a thing that’s much bigger in the grand scheme of things.

SCHUYLER VANVALKENBURG (SPEAKING TO HIS SUPPORTERS): Anybody that’s in public service knows that you can’t do it without your family, I don’t think they have seen me for a weekend in like a year, and so I get to have a weekend with them this weekend and we get to celebrate a victory!

(END)