The Virginia Republican presidential primary is just three weeks away, but the deadline to register is on Monday. The commonwealth is known as a battleground state but this year, with only two of the four front-runners on the ballot, Super Tuesday may not be that super.
On March 6, Virginia voters will have just two choices - Mitt Romney or Ron Paul.
"I think it is going to deprive some people in the state from voting for the presidential candidate they would have liked to have," said Albemarle County Supervisor Ken Boyd, a member of the Albemarle County Republican Party.
Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum failed to make the ticket.
Kyle Kondik of the University of Virginia Center for Politics said, "I think the failure to not get on the ballot in Virginia is a problem for Gingrich and Santorum. Now granted, it is a lot harder to get on the ballot in Virginia than any other state, but...it sort of speaks to a lack of organization on their part."
Kondik says that lack of organization could create a potential blow to either campaign on Super Tuesday. "If it is a straight delegate race, victories by other candidates in other places will be canceled out to a certain extent by Virginia, because Romney is almost assured of winning it."
Virginia joins nine other states with primaries that day, and with its sizable 49 delegate count, Virginia's usually a battleground state. But not this time.
"Unfortunately for Virginia or people who are interested in Virginia being important on Super Tuesday - it is not going to be, I don't think - just because of the ballot question," stated Kondik.
The ballot could also mean fewer people at the polls - something Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta is already seeing. "We've had less than 20 people vote absentee and/or send their ballot back," said Iachetta.
The sparse ballot also means those campaign busses will not make many early stops in the commonwealth. But keep in mind, this is the first step of a long processes.
"The primaries are just getting your feet wet - primaries are just testing the waters," added Iachetta.
The Virginia primary is an open primary so you do not have to be a Republican to vote. Also, this year the loyalty oath has been dropped from the ballot.
Click here to find more information on how to register.
