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Calls for Virginia Elections Official to Step Down

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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A Republican state delegate wants Virginia's head elections official replaced ahead of Election Day.

Del. Tim Hugo said at a Capitol hearing Thursday that Virginia Department of Elections Commissioner Edgardo Cortes isn't up for the job and his department is letting down the state's local officials who run elections.

Hugo's comments came after several county election registrars complained about the state's shoddy I.T. infrastructure and officials in Cortes' office being unresponsive to their requests for help.

Cortes defended his department's work in the face of what he said was a too-small budget, and blamed outside contractors for some I.T. issues.

A spokesman for Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, said the governor has no plans to remove Cortes.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.