Elections are tricky things. As an election judge I get to see voters from all walks of life stroll into the polling place. It is interesting to see people walk over to the booth and darken the oval to hopefully cast a correct ballot that is not spoiled. I can’t say this is always the case though. Some of the time people spoil their ballots and then we give them a new one after placing it in an envelope for it to be destroyed later.

As an aside one lady decided to not get a new ballot after spoiling hers. Claimed she had an appointment to get to. Well, I sure hope she doesn’t complain too much. Her words were this “My vote doesn’t count, and I need to get to the doctor’s. It wouldn’t be any neater than it was.” Unfortunately, she did not listen to the explicit directions posted on the walls and understand that the ovals needed to be darkened completely, not checked or filled halfway.

This lady had me and my fellow judges laughing later at her failure to make enough time to vote. Also we were disgusted at the low turnout. We only had forty-five voters show up. It was not a pretty sight. And many individuals will complain anyway about the new officials.

My point is pretty straightforward. If you can’t make time for voting on election day, vote early at your county clerk’s office, or whomever is responsible in your state or county for such matters. Complacency kills democracy and apathy is the coup de grace. If you don’t vote you should not complain.

One of my colleagues as an election judge has a wife who was born in 1941 in Germany. Yes, the Third Reich. She agreed with me that the turnout was dispicable. She summarized it best. “They’ve had it too good. I have a swatistika on my birth certificate. I can’t be politically correct. If they don’t vote they shouldn’t bitch.”

Shame on you if there was an election and you did not vote. You have dishonored the men and women who have died for the free world. Now, if you knew nothing about the candidates, or if you are moving, that’s understandable. If you were at work, and couldn’t get off: early vote.