Danica Roem (VA House of Delegates 13)

About the Election

The state of Virginia elects representatives for their General Assembly every two years on odd numbered years. The House of Delegates will have elections on Election Day, November 7, 2017. Danica Roem is running for the House of Delegates (the lower chamber) in the 13th District.

About Virginia’s 13th District

The 13th District is made up of a diverse population. It is just outside of the Washington, DC area and is relatively affluent with proximity to high-paying jobs. Hillary Clinton won the district by 54.45% in 2016.

About Danica Roem (pronounced like Roam)

Danica Roem is a life-long Manassas resident and a local journalist. Her campaign is heavily focused on transportation issues, jobs, schools, and equality. If elected, she will be the first openly transgender lawmaker in the state of Virginia.

The current House of Delegates representative is Bob Marshall, a social conservative who supports a “bathroom bill” and authored the state’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

“People are tired of the fact he is focused on discriminatory social policies instead of bread-and-butter, quality-of-life issues they face every day,” Roem told The Post. “He is more concerned with where I go to the bathroom than where his constituents go to work. I’m running a race on improving transportation rather than ensuring discrimination.” 

Messaging

Danica is running a campaign focusing on the local issues that matter to her constituents. Unlike her opponent who has made discrimination part of his platform, Danica intends to be the best representative she can for the district. You’ll note that the phone bank script reflects that by staying focused on the issues that matter in the somewhat conservative 13th District. While Danica is certainly out and proud and will be a leader by breaking the glass ceiling for transwomen in Virginia, she knows that most voters are more motivated by their commute to work, the job opportunities in the community, and the quality of their children’s schools.

More info on Danica’s website

Voter Registration

The deadline to update an address or register to vote is October 16, 2017. Voters can register online at www.elections.virginia.gov as well as check their current status.

Vote By Mail

Deadline to request an absentee ballot to be mailed is Tuesday, October 3, 2017. No excuse vote by mail is not available, but there are many acceptable reasons which may include include needing to work on Election Day.

Voter ID

A photo ID is required to vote in Virginia. Many types of photo ID are acceptable. You only need to show ONE acceptable photo ID to vote. Photo IDs can be used to vote up to one year after the ID has expired.

Acceptable forms of valid identification:

  • Virginia driver’s license
  • Virginia DMV-issued photo ID
  • United States passport
  • Employer-issued photo ID
  • Student photo ID issued by a school, college, or university located in Virginia
  • Other U.S. or Virginia government-issued photo ID
  • Tribal enrollment or other tribal photo ID
  • Virginia Voter Photo ID card

A free Voter ID card can be obtained from a voter registration office, including on Election Day. If the voter has no ID, they are entitled to cast a provisional ballot.

On the issues

More info on Danica’s website

  • Traffic: Let’s finally fix Route 28 and find a cost-effective way to extend VRE to Innovation Technology Park.
    • Route 28 is the major connector to Innovation Technology Park, a biotech sector job center.
    • Route 28 is also the main connector to I-66 which is the major commuter route to Washington, DC.
    • VRE, Virginia Railway Express, is the local commuter rail.
  • Jobs: Incentivize localities to eliminate their BPOL taxes through state economic development grants and finally fill the office vacancies in Manassas Park along Manassas Drive.
    • BPOL (Business, Professional and Occupation License) tax is a tax imposed on a company’s gross receipts within a locality without adjustment for income or deductible expenses.
  • Schools: Raise teacher salaries in Manassas Park and Prince William County so they are no longer the lowest in Northern Virginia while also providing more money for capital improvement projects that reduce class sizes.
  • Equality: Improving our quality of life starts with equality. I support the DREAM Act, civil rights, voting rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, raising the minimum wage and making health insurance more accessible and affordable for everyone.
  • Dominion Energy Power Center: Danica opposes the above ground power towers. Data centers are an increasing issue in No.Va.