My Renewed Appreciation for the Privilege of Voting

 

My Renewed Appreciation for the Privilege of Voting

My first exposure to the reality of elections in the U.S.A. was in the early 1960s when, on election day, I accompanied my parents to the Sterling Township Hall in Blue Earth County, MN.  Sterling Township is one of 23 townships in Blue Earth County, with the county seat located in Mankato, MN.

In those years my father was one of the “supervisors” of the township—sitting on the township governing board for a number of years.    The supervisors along with the township clerk also staffed the elections that were held periodically in the old town hall.  As I recall, the seriousness of Election Day was underscored by the presence of the township constable—along with all members of the township board.   The constable, as I recall, wore a shiny metal badge and carried a pistol--though I wondered whether, like television’s Deputy Barney Fife on the old Andy Griffith Show (1960-65), he was allowed to have only one bullet which had to be kept in his shirt pocket most of the time😊

Elections in those years were rather simple and basic, involving only paper ballots, pencils and a lock-box that was used to collect completed ballots in order to transport them to the County Auditor’s office in the Blue Earth County Courthouse in Mankato, MN-- about 25 miles north of Sterling Township. 

This past Tuesday I served as an election judge for the city of Moorhead, MN, and it dawned on me that I was serving in a capacity similar to what my father did, in Sterling Township, some 60 years ago.    This experience gave me a chance to discover “up close and personal,”  the inner workings of the election process in 2022.    I volunteered for this service in order to do my part in assuring our local election was run in accordance with Minnesota law—with honesty, integrity and trustworthiness.

For quite a number of reasons, serving as an election judge only increased my appreciation for and trust in the integrity of our elections in the great state of Minnesota.    For example:

• ·       Election officials are required to take training, based on the 74-page 2022 State of Minnesota Election Judge Guide.  This detailed guide is highly informative and clearly reflective of pertinent Minnesota State law.    My training included reading of the entire Guide, attending a 2-hour education session last summer, and  being instructed on-site regarding my specific duties.  It was also helpful to have a mix of experienced election judges serving alongside “newbies” like me.   In addition to the ten election judges responsible for the voters in Ward 1, Precinct 2 of Moorhead---we had two “head judges” on our team who were readily available to help out with questions and trouble-shooting during Election Day.
• ·       All judges were required to take the following oath before the start of Election Day: “I, (name) solemnly swear that I will perform the duties of election judge according to law and the best of my ability and will diligently endeavor to prevent fraud, deceit and abuse in conducting this election.  I will perform my duties in a fair and impartial manner and not attempt to create an advantage for my party or for any candidate.”
• ·       The facility where we were located—The Church of Saint Francis de Sales in north Moorhead—was ideal for our purposes, with ample parking, accessible restrooms, and sufficient space (all on one level) to accommodate a steady stream of voters throughout the day.
• ·       The election was conducted in a strictly bi-partisan and non-partisan manner.   Bi-partisanship was assured because each ward/precinct had election judges who were affiliated with each of the major political parties.   Non-partisanship was fostered by an expectation that all judges agreed to refrain from wearing any political clothing or buttons, and that they refrain from any political/partisan conversation during Election Day.
• ·       I was struck by how quickly and competently the head judges assisted election judges with any questions (from voters) they didn’t know how to answer, as well as how glitches with voting equipment were handled in a timely manner.
• ·       Along the way I learned two other things about how elections in Minnesota are conducted.  First we don’t “spare the horses” in terms of staffing of local polling places—I heard on MPR that Minnesota hired about 30,000 local election staffers like myself.   No doubt, this contributes to avoid long lines on election day.   Second, I also learned that Minnesota has a single, uniform election procedure used in all 87 counties of the state.  This stands in contrast to other states, e.g. Arizona, where every county has its own election procedures.  No wonder that it takes Arizona and other “don’t fence me in” states take days upon days to finish up their election processes.    Such delays have, I fear, fostered a climate of impatience and uncertainty that has contributed to the rise and spread of “election denialism” over the last few years.

·       My impression, at the end of the day, was that it would be hard to imagine a better way to conduct elections than the way we do in Minnesota.   No wonder that the final results of the election were accurate and available in a timely fashion that could be shared with all Minnesotans via the various news media in our state.

At the end of election day 2022 I was nearly exhausted, but also so very grateful that I played a small role in that most basic activity of citizens in America:   voting in a fair and free election, thus expressing the sovereign will of “we, the people.”