Whether it is for choosing town or state government representatives, a primary, or a national election, this columnist customarily votes in the morning before work.
It could be because I am generally excited by elections and can’t wait to exercise the privilege of voting. Or it could be because the day is young, my energy and motivation are high, and I’m ready to act on my decision.
But the best reason is probably because our days have a way of getting away from us. Anything can happen over an eight-hour workday to sabotage the best of intentions. Better to vote early and know that my vote is in and counted, and is not likely to be deferred by the day’s unforeseen circumstances or by fatigue.
At 8:45 a.m. this past Tuesday, Precincts 3 and 5 at Norwood’s Civic Center were relatively quiet, the earliest voters already on their way to work, the ballots of lunchtime and after-work voters uncast.
“I hope it gets busier,” I remarked to the police officer who underscored the importance of my single vote by providing a safe escort across Nahatan Street. He acknowledged the relative calm, but also hoped that the volume would pick up as the day went on.
Apparently it did, as 8,541 of the town’s 15,913 registered voters - about 54 percent - turned out for the national primary.
Super Tuesday was special for voters across the country as Democrats, Republicans, and Independents in 22 states got the opportunity to have a say in who will represent the major parties on the ballot in November’s presidential election. Each of the primary states have their own way of choosing delegates, some with secret ballot primaries for each party, others with open caucuses where neighbors reveal their choices for all to see.
In small-town Connecticut, where I spent my early years and where my mother was an elected official and a member of the Republican Town Committee, my siblings had to register for one party or the other to vote in the Super Tuesday primary. One sister became a registered Democrat for the first time in her life. I know my mother is at a Republican rally somewhere in eternity and is shaking her head at this development.
I’m sure Mom feels the same way about me as I chose to vote Democratic last week. While I rebelliously registered as a Democrat in my youth, I soon moved to Massachusetts, where it was okay to be an independent voter, although we are now stigmatized with the mildly insulting status of “Unenrolled.” Still, Massachusetts makes it easy for independent voters to participate in primary elections, giving us the option to vote for either Democrats or Republicans, and then instantly return to our un-glorified, but deeply cherished, independent status.
In Washington state, my daughter participated in this past weekend’s caucuses. It is a system she relishes, where neighbors meet and work together to determine the number of delegates candidates win. She loves it because she can argue her position and hopefully convince the undecided and even those who are for other candidates to join her in supporting the candidate of her choice. She practiced those arguments on me for months.
Still, in less than a week’s time between our Super Tuesday primary and the caucuses in Washington Sstate, the political landscape has changed dramatically, as Governor Romney bowed out of the race on Thursday, taking his delegates with him. Democratic voters trying to decide between senators Clinton and Obama now have to consider who is the better candidate to face the likely Republican nominee, Senator McCain.
The volatility of this year’s long primary season, which started with so many candidates, offers a strong argument against mailed ballots. Some of those who voted early with absentee or mail-in ballots cast their votes for candidates who have since dropped out of the race, and these voters certainly could not have anticipated the importance of selecting the strongest candidate for the November contest.
And, of course, more states have yet to weigh in with their primary results. The final delegate count is undetermined and running mates are still a mystery.
The drama continues. The world is watching. And every single primary vote makes a difference in the outcome.
Norwood resident Candace Leary’s Midpoints column appears Mondays in the Transcript.
