10:58 AM EDT on Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Associated Press

Pete McElveen, WVEC.com

James Webb and Harris Miller debated and argued on WVEC-TV's On The Record.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Voter turnout for the Democratic Senate primary appears to be very light, as expected.

Richmond General Registrar Kirk Showalter characterized morning turnout by making a snoring sound. She says the election wasn't as high profile as others, and that meant a slow morning at most polling places.

Showalter says the runoff between Harris Miller and Jim Webb hasn't been high on many voters' priority list. She says, "when people aren't talking about it, they aren't thinking about it."

Virginia Beach Registrar Pat Harrington says voter turnout was light at polling places throughout the coastal resort city. For example, an electoral board member told Harrington that one precinct had just 18 voters and that was the most he'd seen this morning.

Judy Flaig, election manager for Fairfax County, said she was trying to think of a nicer word than "pitiful." Flaig says that some precincts in Fairfax County had 50 or 60 voters by 9 a-m, but others had just 20.

The winner of today's primary will face incumbent Republican Senator George Allen in November.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)