And Now, At Last, The Election Looms

County is in the bottom 4 when it comes to early voting.

By Ken DeLaat
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Anyone else ready for the election to be over? Granted, we have all enjoyed the blistering (if not even close to honest) commercials, the continual texts and posts asking for $$ or fishing for how we’re going to vote, and, of course, the disappointingly predictable and impotent battles over signage. I mean, seriously, in a national election does a sign sway your vote?  If so, you have been isolated in a mountainous cave or desert island with no human contact for at least a decade. 

Early voting seems to have caught on a bit in our county. Newaygo County Clerk Jason Vanderstelt  reports as of Tuesday the turnout was close to double that of the two previous elections with 5 days of early voting remaining and we are just halfway through the early polling. Of course it is, after all, the Big One when it comes to election cycles but it indicates that voters are slowly warming to the idea of not needing to schedule time on a particular day to exercise the right to mark their ballot.

However, despite the increase, Newaygo County is presently among the bottom four counties in the state when it comes to early polling according to an article in MLive. Only Osceola, Branch and Hillsdale counties have a lower percentage of registered voters getting to their stations as of Tuesday. We were at 13.4%. By contrast 31.6% of Leelenau voters have hit the early opportunities. Among our neighbors Mecosta is at 18.1%, Oceana 16.4%, Montcalm 15.4%, and Lake 14%  

Personally I’m inclined to cast my vote on the traditional Election Day because there’s something about standing in line at a crowded polling place that has always been part of the experience. My first Presidential election was in 1972 when the choices were Nixon and McGovern.  My favorite memory from the polls came in 1988 when George Bush (the first one) ran against Michael Dukakis. I was standing in line and back then the machines had curtains that would open automatically after you cast your ballot. There was a young girl of maybe 4 or 5 behind the curtain with her Mom and she peeked out from the booth and said “Dad! Mom just voted for Dukakis, not Bush!”
So much for the sanctity of the voting booth.’Dad’ did not look pleased and one can only imagine the apres-vote conversation on the way home.

I’m intrigued by the current need among so many to let everyone know how they cast their vote. Nowadays it’s en vogue to blare it out to everyone so there would be no mystery as to who they support. Back in the day, few people I knew would be willing to give out that info because it was a private matter. My  Dad, a dyed in the wool Republican, accused my Mom of voting for Lyndon Johnson in ‘64. I’m not sure if she did or not (and in that landslide it mattered little) but she just remained silent whenever he brought it up and I recall one time capturing a small smile on her face when she turned around. 
 
Now we are on the cusp of deciding who will win the latest in a series of Presidential elections that began more than a couple of centuries ago. There will be angst among both camps as the networks begin unraveling the results. And, of course, some on the losing end will say the election was stolen because that seems to be almost mandatory for the losers these days. Actually  I was kind of  hoping the Tigers would use this gambit to win game 5 in the recent series with Cleveland. Just refuse to admit they lost and see if it can be overturned.
Unfortunately, unlike politics, it’s difficult to argue with numbers in sports

I want to give kudos to the staff at our County Clerk’s office as well as the township and city clerks and poll workers. It’s an arduous and mostly thankless job and they are to be commended for their hard work and the unfortunate recent need to be pretty brave to take it on. 

As a long time political junkie, after casting my vote I will endeavor to stay up late to watch the races unfold. Of course being in my septuagenarian years 11 is considered late so chances are I’ll hit the hay before the results become clear. 
And if you might wonder where my vote might be headed?
Sorry. That’s private.

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