“Just because you do not take an interest in politics does
not mean that politics won’t take an interest in you”
----Pericles
By the time this is printed, we will have a new president.
Whoever it is will have made history. It’s been quite something this time around.
No matter where you stood on the issues or whose sign was on your lawn, this
election probably caused some stress, anxiety and maybe even a fights with
friends and family. There were new lows in some of the campaigning and
definitely some high points too, everyone could likely agree on that, even if
no agreement could be reached on who was best for the job.
Early voting was a thing this year and while a quick check
of Google tells me it’s not really new and that some states like Texas and Oregon
have had it for awhile, it still seems both new and old at the same time. I am
used to voting in the gym at the Rec and Park building, but early voters went
to Abbot Hall. It’s definitely hometown bias and pride, but is there any place
more historic, more American, and more suited to this crucial part of democracy
than a building that houses a famous painting of the very beginnings of our
republic? Still, I decided to hold out and vote on Election Day because growing
up, even for small races, it was a very big deal. There was an energy to it
that just doesn’t happen, for me at least, until the actual day.
My father entered politics early and often, having been
elected to some imaginary office by his classmates on the school bus at the
beginning of his freshman year of high school. From then on, if there was an
office to be held, chances were good that he would throw his hat in the ring.
School Committee was by far his favorite and where he spent most of his
“political” career. Whenever town elections were held, I knew that a large part
of the day would find him holding a sign on the sidewalk and the night would be
spent waiting around town hall, the smell of paper ballots and cigarettes in
the air. A chalkboard was the 1960s version of an electoral map and long table
with a few telephones on it was the communications center. On this night only,
I was allowed to stay up late and wait for the votes to be counted. Some years
it took almost an hour in the little town of Nahant to count all the votes.
That was politics back in the day and as much as I love social media and
advanced technology, there’s something to be said for going old school.
What hasn’t changed in politics however is the concept of
being part of the process. Not everyone wants to run for office and certainly
not everyone should. That isn’t the only way to take part however. Did you vote
this week? Anyone who didn’t, it’s now time for you to sit down and keep quiet.
Early voting went on for eleven days here in town, with a total of 89 hours of
availability. Then, on November 8th, polls were open from 7am to
8pm, offering another 13 hours. Absentee ballots were available for those who
might have been out of town. There was plenty of time to get out and vote. Perhaps
some people just choose not to vote. Honestly, it’s easier for me to comprehend
the Periodic Table of Elements than it is to understand the choice not to vote
and that is saying something since I flunked high school chemistry.
My father gave me many things, from red hair and green eyes
to a wicked attitude and a love of car rides to nowhere, but the most important
of them has to be the belief that the voting in elections, at every level, is vital
to all of our lives. He believed in the process, he believed was a citizen's
sacred duty to cast a ballot whenever one was offered. And he believed it
started at home, in our own communities. For him, it was about standing up and
showing up. Here’s to moving on, to another four years, to new laws and old
battles and the never-ending cycle of determining who we are and how we will
run our towns, our states and our country.
What’s next?
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