For those of you who the Snapchat filters, median line decorations and closing of all schools and rec centers have not clued in yet, elections were held on November 2nd. In Arlington, this year’s elections were very important.

For the first time in 30 years, two Arlington County Board seats were open at the same time. Some could call this election critical as last years John Vihstadt, a Republican running as an Independent, won a county board seat and sided with Democrat Libby Garvey on spending issues such as the shocking decisions to cancel the streetcar project. Two more relatively conservative officials would have the potential to put Arlington, a county that is 70 percent Democrat, under what would be, essentially Republican control.

Four candidates were vying for the position: Democrat Katie Cristol, Democrat Christian Dorsey, Republican running as Independent Mike McMenamin and Independent Audrey Clement. However, with 34.41 and 35.71 percent of the vote, Cristol and Dorsey clinched the two spots.

A McMenamin and Dorsey victory would have likely meant at least four more years of conservative spending as Vihstadt endorsed both Dorsey and McMenamin. Dorsey campaigned as a reformer candidate making many of his ambitions align with Vihstadt. It is worth noting, however, that with the election of Dorsey, reforming candidates have the working majority.

Although reforming candidates have had success in Arlington, Democrats did take the two seats with ease. The cumulative independent vote would be short of Cristol’s vote. Showing that although last years 2014 election shook up Arlington voting patterns with the election of an independent, the county is still strongly democratic.