Supervisors Approve Wording Change in Confederate Statue Vote Advertisement

LUNENBURG -The Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors voted previously to put a referendum on the ballot in November regarding the possible removal of a Confederate statue at Lunenburg Courthouse.

Following a new law that began on July 1 allowing local governments across Virginia to remove or contextualize Confederate monuments on their town, city, or county property, county officials were approached by county residents about removing the statue in Lunenburg. The supervisors ultimately voted 5-2 to let the citizens of Lunenburg make the decision as the group will add a referendum to the November ballot.

This vote will help county officials decide what to do with the County’s Confederate statue in front of the court house. 

During the September meeting of the group, Lunenburg resident Patricia Tunley spoke and asked the supervisors to change the wording that is set to be on the ballot. She said that she hoped the group would be “transparent” and change the language on the ballot.

The referendum states, “Shall the monument honoring the memory of Lunenburg soldiers and women during the Civil War remain on the Lunenburg Courthouse property.”

Tunley and the NAACP sent a letter to county officials saying that the wording should include “Shall the Confederate monument.” 

Lunenburg County Attorney Frank Rennie said that the Virginia Code Section that allows for a referendum to be on the ballot requires that any changes to the wording should be done prior to 81 days before the election. That date has already passed and so the language can’t be changed. However, he said that the county will need to advertise in two newspapers for 10 days prior to the election and can add or change wording in the advertisements.

Supervisor Mike Hankins made a motion to change the wording in the advertisements to include “Confederate monument” and it was unanimously approved by the board members.

While the referendum vote does not mean that the county officials have to do what the majority in the vote say they would like to see happen to the statue, several of the members on the board noted that they would follow what the county residents wanted to take place.