Well, and I voted yesterday, and my Best Reader voted yesterday, and I drove a voter to the polls who probably would have driven herself to the polls but might well have forgotten. I also had a short and shallow discussion about the merits of the bond issue on the ballot, the first discussion I’ve had on that topic. I had decided to support it anyway, partially because I support bond issues by instinct in opposition to the organized groups that oppose every bond issue no matter what (strangely missing in this small town) and partially because the new firehouse that the bond issue would finance would be three blocks closer to my Perfect Non-Reader’s bedroom. Not that we’ll be here to see the thing is built, most likely. Still.
This morning my local news site tells me that the bond issue won, and by thirty-four votes. The other major item on the ballot, the election for first selectman, was also decided the way I voted, and by a plurality of thirteen.
Thirteen.
I mean, out of twelve hundred votes. When Your Humble Blogger mentions that he lives in a small town ... it’s a small town. Still. Thirteen votes.
And if that wasn’t enough ... there was one of those goofy choose-two panel elections. Are you ready for the totals for top three candidates The leading vote-getter picked up 558 votes. The second vote-getter (who also gets a seat) only got 557 votes. In third place, getting to go home and paint the garage? 556 votes. I’ll add that I voted for the top candidate, as it happens. You see that vote? That was mine.
Now, I need to get to work.
chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek,
-Vardibidian.
Goodness. Perfect examples of why every vote counts.
“did you call your uncle to remind him to vote?”
“i thought you were going to do that!”
“aaarrgh! i was!”
“well, maybe that means you’re not detail-oriented enough to serve at this point in your life.”
“that’s probably true – i’ll go do some community work in the mean time and ponder the meaning of this humbling defeat.”
Well, and a really perfect example would include some decision made by the Selectmen or the Board of Whatevers, and how individual’s lives are changed by that decision. But those will be easy to find over the next year.
I will say that I do not understand why some people vote in presidential and gubernatorial elections and not in local elections. I mean, yes, there’s the great national project that we all do together, but on the other hand, even if you live in a big city, there is almost always a local or district race where your vote (taken as a percentage of the plurality) is just freakin’ huge.
Thanks,
-V.
Oh, and david—
“while you’re pondering, will you paint the garage already?”
Thanks,
-V.