My Life - Chapter 43 - Election Days

Election Day 11/6/2018
Verona, WI  dwm photo

I turned 18 in September 1981 while a freshman at Drake University.

Living in Des Moines, Iowa as a Wisconsin resident I wasn't aware of any elections after my birthday.  1982 had a contest for Governor, Congress, a U.S. Senate seat, and a host of local ballot issues back home but I don't remember if I voted.  

My dad talked about voting absentee while in college, so I'm sure I did, but the experience of filling in circles on a ballot doesn't stand out.  

A decade or so earlier, I walked to the polls at Roosevelt Elementary School just a block from our house.  Hand-in-hand with my dad, we walked up to the voting machine, dad pulled a handle which closed the curtain around us and he voted, pulling levers next to his preferred candidates.

It seemed mythical and important, and compared to using a pencil to fill in a circle, it's more dignified.  However, the way we vote isn't important, it's important that we vote.

The 1984 election was my first time voting for President.  It felt like a big deal, that I was part of something a lot bigger than me.  The actual election was a landslide, so while my individual vote didn't tilt the scale in any way, it was my first opportunity to exercise one of my civil rights and responsibility.

I felt the same when assigned to jury duty the first time while living in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin.  The day I reported I was in the jury box with 13 others (two alternates were seated during the trial then dismissed before we retired to consider the case).   I felt the responsibility that comes with deciding the guilt or innocence based on the facts presented.

dwm photo

 As a firm believer in our democratic republic, I want every eligible voter to vote.  The will of the people should be the will of all people, not a contest of who does a better job carving districts into shapes that favor one party or another.

 The 2008 and 2020 elections stand out.  They attracted people to the polls who didn't typically exercise their right to vote.  

 Politics is messy, in a good way, in its purest form.  

 At it's worst, it can be manipulated by those afraid of losing power or corrupted because those in charge don't believe "the people" might put common good over individual gain.

 Instead of finding ways to hold tighter to power, why can't leaders seek to persuade others to their point of view through general discussion and vigorous debate?

It seems naïve, but as a nation, it is our only hope.