Local folks continue to throw their hats in the ring to run for the 64th House of Delegates seat.

John Wandling, a Carrollton resident, says he plans to run for the seat as a Democrat. He’s been gathering signatures throughout the district, which includes parts of Suffolk and Franklin as well as Isle of Wight, Southampton, Surry, Sussex and Prince George counties.

“Looking at the last election and looking at the way things have gone, I’m not particularly happy with it,” he said. “There are things I believe we can do at the state level to make Virginia more democratic — little ‘D.’”

Wandling, who grew up in New Jersey, has lived in the area for about 50 years and in the district for about 15 years. He served in the U.S. Army for about three years and graduated from George Washington University. He has worked in computer science and information technology for George Washington University, System Development Corporation, Mitre Corporation, Unisys and the city of Hampton. He now embraces his second love, sailing, in partial retirement as a sailing instructor.

Wandling said he decided to run for the General Assembly because that is where the issues are he wants to work on.

“I’m all about jobs and infrastructure and education, and I think they all sort of go together,” he said. “I’d like to get more businesses into our area, and I think we have a lot of potential. We’re ideally positioned to work with the intermodal sector and expand it. As we grow, there’s going to be a lot of opportunity in the building trades. The kind of jobs we have are going to change a lot.”

Wandling said he wants to work with workforce development as well as with businesses.

“I believe government has a big role in regulating businesses. I’d like to work with any business that feels they’re being unduly regulated by government regulations.”

He wants to encourage the development of high-speed internet access in rural areas, he said.

“I think it will also help with our traffic problems, because it will support telecommuting,” he said. Schools and students at all levels also need high-speed internet access, he added.

Wandling said he supports Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s efforts to make voting more accessible. He believes in no-excuse early voting — Virginians currently can only vote absentee if they meet one of several requirements. Wandling also supports redistricting reform efforts.

“We have a system now where the politicians pick their voters, and that’s not right,” he said. “Voters need to pick the person, and the person needs to advocate for what they want.”

Visit his website at wandlingfordelegate.com.