In other countries you'd have to wear arms to be allowed to vote: In one part of Switserland only armed persons were allowed to enter the place where the yearly voting was held. No arm, no entry. Women, by the way were not allowed to wear arms. So they couldn't vote, of course only for that reason.

There are funny places with funny customs over the world. Perhaps those Virginians had read about Switserland and only want to show they are true democrats (not: Democrats)

Wolfgang