This past Tuesday, I was fortunate to participate as an “Election Official” in the primary for my town (Burlington, Massachusetts). My current town may confuse some of my relatives and friends as I grew up in the Burlington, Vermont area. So, a few words about my current residence where I have lived for 21 years. Burlington, Massachusetts is a suburb of Boston, MA, located on the Technology Highway of Route 128, which is also I-95. We are also known for our mall (the Burlington Mall, natch) as well as the home of the Lahey Clinic. We have several office parks so we have a great commercial base much to the satisfaction of the residents as it supports our tax base. In 1955, the population was 5,225. In 1960, the population was 12,952. In 1970, the population reached 22,150. Today, it is 24,602. It’s a great town. The people are friendly. It’s a nice size. We have a great library that’s supported by the town and it is open seven days a week. I love living here. I’m in a great little neighborhood with wonderful neighbors I wouldn’t trade for the world and have friends in town that are lifelong and would never give up.
But back to Election Day! What fun! I haven’t spent much thought on elections since I was in college. That is to say, decades. I obtained my bachelors degree at UVM. I took a couple of Political Science courses while there as it was not a main interest of mine. But, as I was a resident of VT, and, this was the hottest course on campus (next to Sex twice a week*), I did take Vermont Political Science. This was taught by the eminent Frank Bryan. Any opportunity to meet, listen to, take his class, read a book by, or just shake his hand, is not to be missed. If you do take VT Poli Sci at UVM, you must take the Spring Semester. Why? Because part of the class work is to attend Town Meeting Day. A requirement. UVM is not open on Town Meeting Day. I am unsure if any other state actually, truly observes this day as it should be observed. Town Meeting Day was originated during the days of the colonies. It was designed to be held in early March when it was difficult for anyone to travel (the first Tuesday in March, heavy snow and/or mud) meant to discourage the colonists from traveling and therefore participating in any form of government. It has survived the Revolution. In Vermont, it has survived over time. It is a forum of participatory government that is wonderful to observe. I went to two town meetings while at UVM: Newport and Windsor. (I went to the Newport meeting with a friend as an observer while she was a student taking the class.) As a student, the assignment is to collect data and make observations about the process. Everybody attending the meeting has an opportunity to make his opinion known. Small government is best.
Since my experience observing Vermont town meetings, I have only voted often, mostly early, but only once per election. Tuesday was an opportunity to get “an insider’s look” to the process. The first step: get there at 6:30 AM. I think that was the most difficult. I am not an early bird. But polls open at 7:00 AM and there is much to get done. First there is the swearing in of election officials during which we swear to uphold the laws of the land. Then we go over the rules. Since it was a primary, registered Republicans could only vote the Republican ballot, the registered Democrats the Democratic ballot, etc. The interesting part was that the Libertarian and Independents did not have anyone running so those registered voters couldn’t vote. Unenrolled voters could choose which ballot they wanted to vote. Then there is the check in, and the check out. One must check in to get one’s ballot (address first, then last name, then first name). It’s a process. It must be followed. Yeah, yeah. I know you look like Thomas and not Katie but I still have to go through the process. There are the questions the voters have and the careful ways that one must answer the questions so that there is no influence in the voting choice. (Basically, reading the instructions out loud. I know, I know. But some people process knowledge differently, what can I say?). Oh, and I can’t make social chit chat in the voting area. I have to step away and get someone to cover for me. And I can’t chit chat for too long even if it’s not busy. Then there is the “Omitted Voters” table. This is the table for those not listed on the voting rolls. Most of the time, at least in this election, the issues were cleared up fairly easily during the afternoon shift that I worked on that table. One voter couldn’t remember which address she was registered under, therefore couldn’t remember which precinct she should go to. Luckily, in our town, all voting takes place in one location. We had lists to check, late voter registrations, inactive voter registrations, redistricted addresses (new precinct this election!). If all else fails, we called the town clerk. Most issues were cleared up within five minutes. Then a little paperwork and most everyone was happy. Some folks wanted to change their party affiliation. It wouldn’t affect their ability to vote this time, but would be processed for the next election. Name and address changes, etc. Watching the whole process was eye-opening. Then the polls closed at 8 PM. With bell ringing and a proclamation. Hear ye, hear ye, the polls are now closed! Then the rush to tally the votes and report in. While this goes on, others are breaking down all the equipment and getting all the signs off the various walls and packing up the gear. We’ll do it all again next month for town elections.
Here’s the takeaway: We live in a remarkable country. We register to vote. We can walk in, get our ballot, make our choices and get heard. It baffles me that people think otherwise, that their one vote doesn’t count. It doesn’t count it if it isn’t made. As I sat around for 15 hours this past Tuesday, it was slowly dawning on me that no matter what I thought about politics or government, participation is important. We have a system that works very well. Why? Because we don’t need to have observers sent to our country to oversee our elections. We are considered the best, or one of the best, nations on the planet. So I challenge anyone who reads this to vote in every election from now on. Consider it a very serious obligation. Make yourself heard and take your responsibility to heart. Keep yourself informed.
Oh, and an interesting fact. A high percentage of the voters chose the Republican ballot in Burlington, MA. Why? My guess is that is was the more interesting ballot. Lots more to choose from for starters. Also, it turns out, my town has a lot of registered Republicans. I had no idea. I still have no idea what the percentages are. I’ll have to look into that. And look into the percentage of Democrats. And Green Party. (I think there were at least four Greet Party votes on Tuesday.)
And now the Campaign Season is in full progress!
*Early Childhood and Development 65 (class was two times a week, was an introductory to Human Sexuality, commonly known as Sex twice a week)
