Our church foyer is being used as a polling place in today’s election. That means that right outside my door there have been about 40 people at any given time chattering, joking, fussing, and laughing. It’s like working in the middle of a coffee shop. It’s been great.
I know that this is kind of a cliched thing to say, but I am always awe-struck when I see an election going down in this country. This year’s governor’s race has been very vitriolic and acerbic with a lot of mud-slinging from both sides. Yet, today, when the voting actually happens, the beauty of American democracy is seen. Sitting here in the polling place I’m not worried about bombs being placed to disrupt the voting. I don’t have to worry about armed thugs intimidating the poll workers. There are not armed guards here to make sure that the votes get to counting place. Even though there are strong opinions about who should be governor there are not fights in the parking lot. And I’m glad to see that the voting today has been brisk; there has been a small line all day of people voting in this small, rural precinct.
Now, don’t get me wrong: there is plenty wrong with our political system and even with the voting process. I’m sure that there will be a lot of dead people who cast ballots today, and this being Kentucky I know that there will be a lot of cash and whiskey handed out to “get out the vote”. A lot of people who can vote won’t, and a lot who shouldn’t vote will.
But when I think of what’s going on in other countries, where military juntas are running the show or martial law has been declared and Supreme Court Justices “fired”, I’m just awed to see democracy in action.
I pray that we will never lose sight of just how precious the right to vote for our representatives is.
Insipid Garbage 