The November 2016 election is now in the books. Hillary Clinton lost. We have President-elect Trump. I’ve been very busy doing what I could to put the Democratic Party over the finish line and had little time to reflect. Last night I did gather some pertinent thoughts and will share some of them in a post or two.
I took the day off from work Tuesday to work the polls (I’m the Democratic precinct chair for my precinct, 01-13). I saw a steady stream of people coming to vote, both Clinton supporters but also a surprising number of Trump supporters. Most were friendly to my greeting but some were obviously angry. One man who took my voter guide returned afterward and – very worked up – told me he wished the incumbents had been listed on the ballot, because he “wanted to vote all these assholes out.” I nodded, not really sure what to make of that.
I love working the polls on Election Day and saying hello to all of my neighbors, though. I shared the responsibility with Dave Malette, Heidi, Tammy, and Julie. Kelly and Travis joined me for the 5-7:30 PM shift. We were joined by a reporter named Ben from a newspaper in Belfast (yes, Belfast, Ireland) who was interviewing voters after they had voted.
Earlier in the day, I spotted a not-so-happy white man in the corner of the parking lot, snapping a photo with his phone of the Republican campaign signs. A well-dressed man and woman walked up to me and asked quietly if I knew what he was doing. I told them them man looked harmless but another greeter asked what they were all about. The man then flashed me his credentials. They were from the U.S. Department of Justice, there to make sure that no one’s right to vote was being infringed. They were super-polite and I reassured them that this was about as friendly a polling place as you would find. With that, the returned inside the building for an hour or two before going on their way. I’d never seen the Feds monitor an election before. That was a first for me.
I took a break from greeting around lunchtime and stayed home until I had to pick Travis up from school around 4:30. As we were returning home, we saw a broken-down car parked in front of our house.
“Let’s go out and see if they need help,” I told Travis. We both went over to meet the driver, who was under the front of the car checking it out. His name was Shawn and his car had overheated. I offered him tools or any assistance I could give but he told me his brother Willie was on his way. With that, I went inside and began cooking dinner.
I later looked out the window and Shawn’s family and brother were now standing around the car.
“Anything I can do to help?” I asked again. This time Shawn handed me two containers and asked for water for his car.
“I didn’t want to trouble you,” he said. I laughed and told him it was no problem at all, soon fetching his water.
I spoke with his wife Pam and daughter, Brianna while we watched Willie and Sean work on the car. Brianna saw my camera and Pam told me Brianna wants to be a photographer. I chatted with them about photography and ways she could get into the hobby. They were all very friendly and appreciative of my help. Meeting them was the highlight of my day.
I returned to the polling place around 5 PM. Heidi had to leave but I learned from Kelly that she didn’t want to go until I had returned. She is the daughter of parents who were persecuted by the Nazis, perhaps even in camps. I am not sure why she insisted on waiting for me to get back but Kelly told me later that Heidi was apparently inspired by me. Hearing the story of her parents’ ordeal and knowing the hate that has been thrown around in this election I was humbled by the thought that what I was doing out there really did matter; that good people have to make a stand.
Once the polls closed I headed over to the Democratic Party election night party. People were shell-shocked when it appeared Trump would prevail. Their shock continued when many Council of State results came in. It was a gloomy occasion. I watched some returns in Duane Hall’s hotel room before heading over my friend Cynthia Ball’s. Her election to the House was one bright spot in the otherwise disappointing night. She didn’t even feel like celebrating her own victory. Can’t blame her.
Other bright spots was that Marylin Avila lost to Joe Johns. Avila was in the pocket of Time Warner Cable and did everything she could to block municipal broadband efforts. I suppose the N&O’s inexplicable endorsement of her was her kiss of death.
My friend Jay Chauduri easily won his election, as did my friend Josh Stein. And at this point Roy Cooper, the most popular politician in the state, is hanging on to a 5000 vote lead over Pat McCrory. Hurray!
I’ve had plenty of doubt over the past few weeks about why I continue to pour so much into politics. I get tired of the posturing and insincerity I see. Then I think of the family I helped out Tuesday, and of Heidi and her parents, and I’m reminded of the good that can be done by the collective partnership that is representative government.
As long as there’s a need I can’t walk away.